Japan Launches New Mission To Mars, First Phobos Sample Return

Japan recently launched their new Martian Moons eXplorer mission from the Tanegashima Space Center. On October 19th (Pacific Time) and October 20th (Japan Time), MMX lifted off aboard Japan's H3 rocket. MMX is targeting the small asteroid moons of Mars, Phobos and Deimos. It will land and sample Phobos, and return the samples to Earth in 2031. In addition, a small rover will be on board, which means that there will be rovers on Mars and rovers on Mars' moon simultaneously.

The mission will arrive at Mars for orbital insertion in August 2027, and enter a semi-orbit of Phobos in September of 2027. The "orbit" of Phobos is not a common satellite orbit, where the spacecraft is gravitationally bound to the parent object, but is instead a QSO, or quasi satellite orbit. This orbit is a 1:1 orbital resonance with Phobos, where MMX is orbiting Mars at the same distance and near Phobos. This will allow MMX to send down a lander and a rover to collect samples from the surface of Phobos. It will collect in two different locations on Phobos.