Image: JAXA
MMX (Martian Moons eXploration)
Mission Profile
| Launch date | TBD ~2026 |
|---|---|
| Launch vehicle | H3 |
| Spacecraft | MMX spacecraft + IDEFIX rover (CNES/DLR) |
| Target | Phobos |
| Type | Robotic |
| Mass | ~4,000 kg at launch including return module |
| Duration | ~5 years end-to-end |
| Partners | JAXA (lead), NASA (MEGANE, DSN), CNES + DLR (IDEFIX rover), ESA (sample handling) |
| Instruments | TENGOO (telescopic camera), OROCHI (wide-angle imager), MIRS (NIR spectrometer), MEGANE (neutron/gamma; NASA), MSA (mass spectrometer), LIDAR, CMDM (radar), Sampling system |
Prime Contractors
Companies that built, launched, or operate this mission. Tickers link to their investor profile.
- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
- Mitsubishi Electric
- CNES
- DLR
- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Overview
MMX is JAXA's flagship mission to study Mars's two small moons, Phobos and Deimos, and to return the first samples ever from the Martian system. The architecture, building on JAXA's heritage from Hayabusa and Hayabusa2, calls for the spacecraft to enter a quasi-satellite orbit around Phobos, conduct detailed remote-sensing observations, and execute one or more brief touchdowns to collect at least 10 grams of regolith from beneath the moon's surface. MMX will also deploy IDEFIX, a small ~25-kg rover jointly developed by France's CNES and Germany's DLR — the first non-Japanese rover ever to operate on a body other than Earth. After Phobos operations, MMX will conduct flybys of Deimos before returning the sample capsule to Earth. The mission was originally targeted for a 2024 launch but was delayed to 2026 following H3 launch vehicle availability constraints and ongoing technical reviews. The scientific stakes are unusually high: Phobos and Deimos may either be captured asteroids or impact debris from Mars itself, and a returned sample would resolve that origin question definitively while also providing pristine material from the inner Solar System. NASA contributes the MEGANE neutron and gamma-ray spectrometer.
Key Milestones
2017-06-09
JAXA officially approves MMX
2023-02-15
MMX preliminary critical design review complete
2024-04-22
JAXA delays MMX launch to 2026
TBD ~2026
Launch on H3 from Tanegashima
TBD ~2027
Phobos arrival and IDEFIX rover deployment
TBD ~2031
Sample return to Earth