Japan targets October 19 to launch uncrewed MMX Phobos mission

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency is targeting October 19 for the launch of its uncrewed Martian Moons eXploration mission, according to srpske.rs and Astronomy Magazine. The spacecraft is scheduled to lift off on an H3 rocket from the Yoshinobu launch complex at the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan. Srpske.rs reported that the launch is set for 7:41 p.m. UTC on October 19, which is October 20 at 4:41 a.m. local time in Japan. India Today noted that the spacecraft will launch on Tuesday local time. [1][4][5]

The mission is led by JAXA in partnership with NASA, France's CNES, Germany's DLR, and the European Space Agency, srpske.rs reported. JAXA announced the launch schedule on August 20 and established a backup window running from October 21 to November 7, 2026. Srpske.rs added that the spacecraft will fly on the tenth flight of the H3 rocket, designated H3 F10. [1]

The primary scientific objective of the uncrewed probe is to gather regolith from Phobos and deliver it back to Earth. Srpske.rs reported that the mission aims to return at least 10 grams of material in 2031. Astronomy Magazine added that the spacecraft will spend three years studying the moon prior to landing on its surface to collect soil. [1][4][5][6]

Phobos is the larger and innermost of the two natural satellites orbiting Mars. JAXA previously demonstrated space sample collection capabilities with its Hayabusa robotic spacecraft, which retrieved materials from the near-Earth asteroid 25143 Itokawa and returned them to Earth in 2010. [11][12]