Japan Launches Martian Moon Mission

What happened

The outlets' own sentences, most widely reported first. Hover or tap one to see who reported it.

Analysis

How it changed

1. 18 Oct

   Multiple Russian attempts to land on Phobos, including one in 2011, have failed.

   3 outlets · Toronto Star
2. 19 Oct

   A Japanese spacecraft rocketed toward Mars on Tuesday on an unprecedented quest to explore its mysterious moons and bring back samples.

   4 outlets · Toronto Star
3. 20 Oct

   Japan has an edge, having already completed two asteroid sample returns.

   2 outlets · Euronews

Coverage 10 articles

• 20 Oct Japan launches spacecraft to mysterious moons of MarsJapan launched a spacecraft from Tanegashima Island on Tuesday as part of an ambitious five-year mission to explore Mars's moon Phobos and return samples to Earth by 2031. The $812 million project, known as MMX for Martian Moons Exploration, aims to land a robotic prospector and the French-German rover Idefix on Phobos, which is about 22 kilometers in diameter. If successful, this would be the first landing and…CBC
• 20 Oct Japan launches mission to bring back samples from Mars’s moon PhobosJapan recently launched its H3 rocket carrying the MMX probe on a mission to collect samples from Phobos, one of Mars's moons. The spacecraft will spend three years gathering data and material to study the early history of the solar system.Euronews
• 20 Oct Japan launches unprecedented mission to bring back samples from Mars’ moon phobosJapan launched a spacecraft from Tanegashima Island on Tuesday as part of the $578 million MMX mission to explore and bring back samples from Phobos, one of Mars' moons. The five-year mission involves deploying a rover named Idefix to scout for safe landing sites before a stationary lander collects at least 10 grams of material from Phobos in late 2028 or 2029. If successful, the samples will return to Earth by…Euronews
• 19 Oct Japan launches first mission to collect samples from Martian moonJapan has launched a space rocket from Tanegashima Space Centre to study Phobos, one of Mars's moons, for the first time. The five-year mission by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) aims to collect at least 10 grams of sand and rock samples from Phobos using a rover equipped with special landing legs to ensure stability on the low-gravity moon. Upon completion of its objectives in 2027, the MMX spacecraft…ABC News (AU)
• 19 Oct Japan launches spacecraft to mysterious moons of Mars in a bold mission to bring home soil samplesJapan launched a spacecraft from Tanegashima Island on Tuesday, beginning a five-year mission aimed at exploring Mars' moons Phobos and Deimos. The \$578 million project, led by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and involving five international space agencies, will attempt to land a rover named Idefix and collect samples from Phobos for return to Earth in 2031. This mission is the first of its kind, as no…Toronto Star
• 19 Oct Mission set to blast off for Mars to grab a piece of its moonA space mission led by the Japanese Space Agency, called Mars Moons Exploration (MMX), is scheduled to launch on Monday with plans to collect a sample from Phobos, one of Mars' moons, and return it to Earth in 2031 for analysis. The spacecraft will study both Deimos and Phobos during its mission but focus primarily on Phobos, deploying a rover to scout potential landing sites before collecting just 10 grams of moon…BBC
• 18 Oct Japan to launch first-ever mission to get samples from a Martian moonJapan plans to launch a spacecraft on October 18, 2026, aimed at Phobos, one of Mars's moons, for the first mission to collect samples. The five-year endeavor, led by Japan’s Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) with support from NASA and other agencies, seeks to uncover details about Phobos' formation and composition. Scientists hope that studying materials from Phobos, which may contain up to 0.1% Martian material…New York Post
• 18 Oct Japan readies Martian moon mission to uncover origins of life
  South China Morning Post
• 18 Oct Japan to launch historic round-trip mission to Mars moonJapanese scientists are launching a mission to Mars's moons Phobos and Deimos using an unmanned probe called Martian Moons eXploration (MMX). Set to launch from Tanegashima Space Centre on Tuesday at 4:41 am local time, the MMX will orbit Phobos for up to three years before landing and collecting at least 10 grams of surface material. The mission aims to determine the origin of Mars's moons and explore their…Dawn
• 18 Oct Japan to launch spacecraft on a mission to get samples from a Martian moonJapan plans to launch a spacecraft on Tuesday using its new H-3 rocket, aiming to retrieve samples from Phobos, one of Mars' moons, over a five-year mission. This international effort led by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) includes support from NASA and other agencies. The goal is to uncover clues about Phobos's formation and potentially reveal insights into the origins of life in the solar system…Toronto Star

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