Japan’s MMX Mars Mission

Japan’s MMX Mars Mission:

Japan’s Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission, led by JAXA, was launched aboard an H3 launch vehicle to study Mars’s moons, Phobos and Deimos, and return material from Phobos to Earth.MMX will study the origin, composition, gravity, internal structure and surface of Phobos, while also observing Deimos, Mars’s only two natural satellites.It will collect regolith, loose dust, soil and rock fragments, from Phobos. This would be the world’s first sample-return mission from the Martian system.A small French-German rover, IDEFIX, will examine the low-gravity surface and help assess terrain conditions for sampling.MMX builds on JAXA’s asteroid sample-return experience through Hayabusa and Hayabusa2, demonstrating advanced navigation, landing and return-capsule capabilities.