JAXA's MMX heads for Phobos: what 10 grams of a Martian moon can settle
JAXA’s Martian Moons eXploration spacecraft, MMX, is scheduled to lift off on an H3 rocket from Tanegashima at 04:41:03 Japan time on 20 October 2026. That’s 19:41:03 UTC on Monday 19 October, or 22:41 here in Cyprus, where we’re still on summer time for one more week. If the weather or the rocket says no, there’s a backup period running to 7 November, with a separate launch time for each day (JAXA launch notice). The goal is to bring more than 10 grams of Phobos, the larger of Mars’ two moons, back to Earth in JAXA’s fiscal year 2031. ...