Japan's Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) Mission: International Partnership

Japan's Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) Mission: International Partnership

How did Mars’ moons Phobos and Deimos form? The Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) Mission aims to answer this very question. Developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the spacecraft will explore Phobos from orbit and collect samples from its surface. On board MMX will be the IDEFIX rover—a collaboration between the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the French space agency, Centre national d'études spatiales (CNES). IDEFIX will land on Phobos, analyze its surface properties and help select a suitable landing site for the MMX mothership. The MMX mission is scheduled to launch from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center in 2026.

This animation shows the planned mission timeline—from the journey to Mars and its moons, the exploration of Phobos from orbit and on the surface with the IDEFIX rover, to the sample collection by the mothercraft and its return to Earth.

Learn more about the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) Mission:
https://www.mmx.jaxa.jp/en/

Video Credit: DLR/German Aerospace Center
Duration: 7 minutes
Release Date: March 13, 2025

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