NASA to contribute instruments and support to JAXA's MMX Mars moons mission

NASA is playing an important role in JAXA's MMX (Martian Moons eXploration) mission. The mission aims to characterize and determine the origin of Mars' moons Phobos and Deimos and deliver a sample of Phobos to Earth.

The MMX spacecraft is targeting launch from JAXA's Tanegashima Space Center in Japan at 3:41 p.m. EDT on Monday, Oct. 19 (4:41 a.m. JST on Tuesday, Oct. 20).

NASA's contributions include the Mars-moon Exploration with Gamma rays and Neutrons (MEGANE) spectrograph instrument, the Pneumatic Sampler (P-Sampler) technology demonstration, and communications and navigation support from the agency's Deep Space Network, as well as funding for United States scientists on the MMX science team.

The MEGANE spectrograph will help scientists determine the chemical composition of Phobos by measuring neutrons and gamma rays emitted from the moon's surface. The P-Sampler, mounted on one of the spacecraft's landing legs, is designed to collect a ground sample using bursts of high-pressure nitrogen gas.

NASA will obtain and curate about 15% of the total returned sample at the agency's Johnson Space Center Astromaterials Lab in Houston. The sample will be made available for research for decades.

The MMX spacecraft will arrive at Mars in August 2027 to begin its survey of the Red Planet's two moons. After surveying Phobos in detail, the spacecraft will collect a sample of the moon's surface no earlier than December 2028 and deliver it to Earth in 2031.

Scientists have long debated whether Phobos and Deimos are remains of a massive impact on Mars or ancient asteroids captured by Mars' gravity. Scientists believe the data and samples collected by the MMX mission will help answer essential questions about the origins of these moons and the history of the solar system.