NASA to Support JAXA's MMX Mission to Study Mars' Moons
NASA announced it is contributing instruments, sample curation and communications support to JAXA's MMX mission to study and sample Mars' moon Phobos.
Mission Overview
NASA announced it is playing a role in JAXA's (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission, which the agency says aims to characterize and determine the origin of Mars' moons Phobos and Deimos and deliver a sample of Phobos to Earth. According to NASA, the MMX spacecraft is targeting launch from JAXA's Tanegashima Space Center in Japan at 3:41 p.m. EDT on Monday, Oct. 19 (4:41 a.m. JST on Tuesday, Oct. 20).
NASA's Contributions
NASA says its contributions to the mission include the Mars-moon Exploration with Gamma rays and Neutrons (MEGANE) spectrograph instrument, the Pneumatic Sampler (P-Sampler) technology demonstration, and communications and navigation support from the agency's Deep Space Network, as well as funding for U.S. scientists participating on the MMX science team.
According to NASA, the MEGANE instrument will measure neutrons and gamma rays emitted from Phobos' surface to determine its chemical elemental composition, providing clues about its origin. NASA says the P-Sampler, mounted on one of the spacecraft's landing legs, will collect a ground sample from Phobos using bursts of high-pressure nitrogen gas, complementing JAXA's C-Sampler, which will extract cores from a few inches deeper.
NASA says it will obtain and curate about 15% of the total returned sample at the agency's Johnson Space Center Astromaterials Lab in Houston, making it available for research for decades.
Statements
Nicky Fox, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, said the samples from MMX "will bring forth paradigm-shifting science on the Mars system for generations to come," and said NASA Science is supporting MMX sample curation and will share portions of the samples for study.
Tom Statler, MMX program executive and program scientist at NASA Headquarters, said Phobos and Deimos "may be the remains of a massive impact on Mars that sent material into orbit around the planet, or they could be ancient asteroids that were captured by Mars' gravity billions of years ago," adding that determining the answer would help illuminate the era when Earth and other inner planets were acquiring water and organic compounds.
Timeline and Partners
NASA says the MMX spacecraft will arrive at Mars in August 2027 to begin surveying Phobos and Deimos, will collect a sample of Phobos' surface no earlier than December 2028, and will deliver it to Earth in 2031.
According to NASA, the MEGANE instrument was developed by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, and Honeybee Robotics, a Blue Origin company, developed the spacecraft's pneumatic sampler mechanism. NASA says its contributions to MMX were developed under the agency's Discovery Program, managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for the agency's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.
— NASA, Oct. 15, 2026
Key takeaways
- NASA announced it is contributing to JAXA's Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission, which aims to characterize Mars' moons Phobos and Deimos and return a sample of Phobos to Earth.
- NASA's contributions include the MEGANE spectrograph instrument, a Pneumatic Sampler (P-Sampler) technology demonstration, Deep Space Network communications and navigation support, and funding for U.S. scientists on the MMX science team.
- NASA says it will obtain and curate about 15% of the returned Phobos sample at its Johnson Space Center Astromaterials Lab in Houston.
- According to NASA, the MMX spacecraft is targeting launch on Oct. 19, 2026, is set to arrive at Mars in August 2027, and would deliver the Phobos sample to Earth in 2031.
FAQ
What is the goal of JAXA's MMX mission?
NASA says the mission aims to characterize and determine the origin of Mars' moons Phobos and Deimos and to deliver a sample of Phobos to Earth.
What instruments is NASA contributing?
NASA says it is providing the MEGANE spectrograph, which measures neutrons and gamma rays to determine Phobos' chemical composition, and the Pneumatic Sampler (P-Sampler), which collects surface material using high-pressure nitrogen gas.
When will the MMX spacecraft launch and return a sample?
NASA says the spacecraft is targeting launch on Oct. 19, 2026, will arrive at Mars in August 2027, and is expected to collect a sample of Phobos no earlier than December 2028 and deliver it to Earth in 2031.
Where will the returned sample be studied?
NASA says it will curate about 15% of the total returned sample at its Johnson Space Center Astromaterials Lab in Houston, making it available for research for decades.