Japan’s MMX mission targets 20 October launch to collect a Phobos sample
JAXA is targeting 19:41 UTC on 19 October for the launch of MMX, a mission designed to collect material from Mars’s moon Phobos and return it to Earth. Orbinauts reports the spacecraft will fly on the H3-24L, the rocket’s most powerful configuration; the launch date may shift within a reserve period running to 7 November.
Bottom line — JAXA aims to return more than 10 g of Phobos material to Earth in 2031.
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Orbinauts says the H3-24L is 63 m tall and weighs 574 tonnes without its payload.
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The launch plan calls for the rocket to release MMX onto its Mars transfer orbit about 71 minutes after liftoff, according to Orbinauts.
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Orbinauts reports MMX is expected to enter orbit around Mars in August 2027 and around Phobos from September that year.
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The mission plans to deploy the 25 kg Idefix rover in early 2029, then land on Phobos in 2030, according to Orbinauts.
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JAXA plans two landings to collect material from at least 2 cm below Phobos’s surface, Orbinauts reports.
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Orbinauts says the sample capsule is due to return to Earth in 2031 and be recovered in Australia.
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JAXA leads the mission, with NASA, CNES, DLR and ESA contributing, according to Orbinauts.