Japan’s MMX Mission Scheduled to Study Phobos

Japan’s Martian Moons eXploration mission was scheduled to launch Monday, October 19, to study Phobos and collect material for return to Earth, but the available reports do not confirm that the spacecraft lifted off. The JAXA-led mission’s reported launch time was 3:41 p.m. ET from Tanegashima Space Center, corresponding to 4:41 a.m. Japan Standard Time on Tuesday, October 20. MMX is designed to investigate Phobos, the larger of Mars’ two moons, and bring samples back to Earth in 2031. The mission also plans to observe Deimos, the smaller moon. If the return succeeds, scientists could analyze the material for clues about how the moons formed and about Mars’ history. Researchers have not settled whether Phobos and Deimos formed from material thrown into space by an impact on Mars or were asteroids captured by the planet’s gravity. Scientists quoted in reports said existing observations do not fully explain either possibility. Samples from Phobos could help test those ideas, though the mission’s results are not yet known. The spacecraft is expected to reach the Mars system in 2027. Mission descriptions say it will survey Phobos before attempting surface operations and sample...