# Japan's MMX Mission Targets Phobos for Mars Sample

> Japan's MMX mission aims to collect Phobos dust for Mars moon analysis.
- Title: Japan's MMX Mission Targets Phobos for Mars Sample · BBC News
- Summary: Japan's MMX mission aims to collect Phobos dust for Mars moon analysis. Japan's MMX mission will return 10g of Phobos dust to Earth in 2031 to solve how…
- Keywords: japan, mmx, phobos, mars, mars moons, space exploration, sample return, japanese space agency, science, Japan's, Mission, Targets
- Source: BBC News — https://bbc.com/news/articles/cmvgxvkv54w1o
- Published: 2026-10-19T08:03:49.923+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: japan, mmx, phobos, mars, mars moons, space exploration, sample return, japanese space agency, science
## Japan's MMX mission launches
Japan's MMX spacecraft will blast off from Tanegashima Space Center on 20 October at 04:41 local time to study Mars' moon Phobos.
## Phobos sample return timeline
The MMX mission aims to return 10g of Phobos dust to Earth in 2031 after landing on Phobos in August 2027.
## Phobos moon facts
Phobos is 20km (12 miles) across and Deimos is 10km (six miles) across, both irregularly shaped like space potatoes.
## Phobos gravity challenge
Phobos has low gravity, making rover landings difficult due to Mars' strong gravitational pull.
## Sample analysis goals
The mission will analyze Phobos dust to determine if Mars' moons formed from a space rock impact or captured asteroids.
## Mars moon formation theories
Either Phobos and Deimos came from a Mars-impacting space rock or they are asteroids captured by Mars' gravity.
## Mars meteorite context
Martian meteorites are rare and contaminated, unlike the pristine Phobos sample to be returned.
## Key takeaway

Japan's MMX mission will return 10g of Phobos dust to Earth in 2031 to solve how Mars' moons formed.