Finally, MMX will land on Phobos and pick up samples with both P-sampler and its other collection device, a corer. If all goes well, the spacecraft may lift off and land on Phobos a second time, perhaps on the moon’s other side, and retrieve another sample core.
MMX will aim to leave Mars in 2030. As it makes its way out of the Mars system, the spacecraft will pass by the other Martian moon, Deimos, and explore it from afar. In 2031, MMX will return to Earth and drop off its samples, which will descend by parachute to a recovery site in Australia.
When will MMX launch?
MMX is scheduled to launch on Oct. 19, 2026 at 3:41 p.m. ET, which is 4:41 a.m. on Oct. 20 in Japan. If that launch is scrubbed, a broader launch window may remain feasible through Nov. 7. The mission will take off on an H3 rocket from the Yoshinobu Launch Complex at Tanegashima, Japan.