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Astronomy and spaceflightFri 16 Oct 2026 · 10 of 10

NASA partners with JAXA for MMX mission to return Phobos sample

Verified · 6/6 supported1 cited · 1 min read

nasa.gov reports that NASA is playing an important role in JAXA’s Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission . nasa.gov reports that the MMX mission aims to characterize and determine the origin of Mars’ moons Phobos and Deimos and to deliver a sample of Phobos to Earth . nasa.gov reports that the MMX spacecraft is scheduled to launch from JAXA’s Tanegashima Space Center at 3:41 p.m. EDT on Monday, Oct. 19 (4:41 a.m. JST on Tuesday, Oct. 20) . nasa.gov reports that NASA will support MMX sample curation, sharing portions of the Phobos samples for study .

Why it matters. nasa.gov reports that the shared Phobos samples will provide science that aids NASA’s preparation for sending the first humans to Mars .

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