A Japanese Space Agency spacecraft has begun its journey to Mars’s moon Phobos with the goal of collecting moondust samples and returning them to Earth. The Mars Moons Exploration mission is scheduled to reach Phobos in August 2027, marking what would be the first successful retrieval of samples from Mars or its moons for laboratory analysis on Earth.
The MMX spacecraft will initially study Deimos, Mars’s other moon, before focusing on Phobos. Once in the Phobos vicinity, the spacecraft plans to deploy a small rover to scout the terrain and identify suitable landing locations. Scientists note that landing on such a small celestial body presents unique challenges due to the gravitational influence of Mars competing with Phobos’s minimal gravity. After the rover completes its reconnaissance, the main spacecraft will touch down on Phobos, extend a robotic arm, and use samplers to collect approximately 10 grams of moondust. This material will be sealed in a capsule and returned to Earth in 2031, landing in the Woomera desert of South Australia.
Scientists view the sample collection as crucial to resolving a longstanding question about Phobos and Deimos’s origins. Two competing theories exist: either the moons formed from debris created when a space rock collided with Mars early in the planet’s history, or they are captured asteroids from the outer Solar System drawn in by Mars’s gravity. Chemical and mineral analysis of the returned samples should definitively distinguish between these scenarios.
Another potential benefit of the mission involves possible Martian material embedded in Phobos itself. Due to Phobos’s proximity to Mars, impacts on the planet may have implanted Martian grains into the moon’s surface, meaning the returned sample could contain direct material from Mars. This would provide unprecedented insight into Mars’s composition and history without the contamination issues associated with meteorites that have fallen to Earth.
The MMX mission occurs within a broader international effort to return Martian samples to Earth. NASA’s Perseverance rover has been collecting samples on Mars since 2021, though the planned NASA/ESA Mars Sample Return mission to retrieve those canisters was effectively cancelled following Congressional action to halt its funding. China has also announced plans for its own Mars sampling mission, scheduled to launch in 2028 with a target return date of 2031.
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