Japan's Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) Aims to Take Home Samples From Martian Moon Phobos

The first expedition to send samples off Phobos, one of Mars's two moons, has taken all necessary steps of its transit system and mission equipment.

The mission of MMX or the Martian Moon eXploration is to collect data that would aid in determining whether Mars' two moons managed to capture asteroids or remnants of a celestial body that collided with Mars at some point in the past. This same spacecraft will orbit Mars, transition to Phobos, land, and collect at least ten grams of specimens from the moon before attempting to make several flybys of the relatively small moon Deimos and submitting a return component with the specimens returned to Earth, according to report from Japan's national space agency, JAXA.

Attempting to follow that are "structural tests, electrical/mechanical interface checks to guarantee electrical and mechanical connectivity in between bus system and operation instruments, as well as [electromagnetic] tests using an engineering model to ensure operations, effectiveness, durability, and other factors," according to Imada.

Beyond those benchmarks, the expedition must verify the spacecraft's interface to ground systems. All testing is anticipated to be completed by the conclusion of the fiscal year 2023, following which the spacecraft will be transferred to Tanegashima Space Center.

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's MMX Goal

One purpose of MMX is to collect data that might aid in determining if Mars' twin moons are recovered asteroids or remnants of a heavenly sphere that collided with Mars at some moment.

"Exploring Martian moons might help find innovative results to elucidate the Solar System's evolutionary changes, as well as how planets were created and shaped," expedition engineer Hirotaka Sawada explained. Sawada has prior experience retrieving specimens of the celestial bodies, despite working on the MMX precursor classified as the Hayabusa-2 expedition to asteroid Ryugu.

Nevertheless, whereas Hayabusa-2 used to have a 40 cm diameter capsule for sampling, MMX had a 60-centimeter version. And MMX will not just brush up towards Phobos as Hayabusa accomplished at Ryugu. The mission will land, which suggests it will require extensive fuel. As a response, equipment needs to be lightweight to accommodate all of the fuel the mission will have to transport throughout the inner solar system.

This mission is planned to launch in September 2024, land on Phobos in August 2025, and return to Earth in July 2029.

The COVID-19 pandemic has hindered the construction of MMX because of delayed travel to examine equipment undergoing preparation by manufacturers. The main engineer stated that the team is constantly modifying timetables to accommodate for disruptions.

(Photo: JAXA)
MMX trajectory plan.

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MMX's Contingency Plan and JAXA's Previous Collaborations

"We should rest during the period between this testing process and the launch of the spacecraft," Sawada stated, explaining that if the launching chance is wasted, the crew will be forced to put it on hold for an additional two years for a subsequent attempt.

In an official statement from JAXA's Mission board, the agency previously announced that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the European Space Agency (ESA), as well as the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched a cooperative effort in May 2020 to demonstrate the COVID-19 Earth Observing Dashboard, that has expanded to include global environmental change, later in March 2021.

The Earth Observing Dashboard achieved the point of comprehensive renewal in May of this year, three years after its inception. Noting the increased usage of the joint Dashboard and the ongoing demand for further data, NASA, ESA, and JAXA decided to continue their collaborative effort in global awareness of the dynamic environment with anthropogenic activities beyond June 2024.