#MMX

Content tagged "MMX".

2 items (2 articles, 0 stories)

Articles

Ten Grams of Martian Moon Dust Could End a Decades-Long Debate

August 23, 2026

Japan's MMX spacecraft is heading to Phobos, the tiny, misshapen moon of Mars, to scoop up 10 grams of sand and bring it home. Is Phobos a captured asteroid or debris from an ancient impact? SORABUMI explains how a handful of dust could finally settle the question.

Our Solar System Family #MMX#Phobos#Mars#sample return#JAXA

Bring Back a Handful of Martian Moon Dust, and the Soil Itself Will Reveal Where Phobos Came From

August 2, 2026

JAXA's MMX mission launches in fiscal year 2026 to land on Phobos, Mars's larger moon, and scoop up soil samples. Is this 22-km-wide moon a captured asteroid or a chunk of Mars itself? Isotopes in the returned dust will settle the debate. SORABUMI explains humanity's first sample-return mission from the Mars system.

Our Solar System Family #MMX#Phobos#Mars#JAXA#sample return