NASA will hold a media teleconference on October 15 to discuss its role in the Martian Moons eXploration mission led by JAXA. The mission is set to launch from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan on October 19. The spacecraft is expected to reach Mars in August 2027 to study the moons Phobos and Deimos.
The mission plan includes collecting a surface sample from Phobos no earlier than December 2028, with the return to Earth scheduled for 2031. NASA provides the MEGANE gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer, developed by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, and a pneumatic sampler mechanism created by Honeybee Robotics.
In addition to hardware, NASA offers communications and navigation support through its Deep Space Network. The agency also funds United States scientists participating in the MMX science team. The project is supported by NASA’s Discovery Program, which is managed by the Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama.
