{"id":578381,"date":"2026-10-16T05:58:08","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T19:58:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/directorates\/smd\/planetary-science-division\/nasa-to-help-unlock-mysteries-of-mars-moons-in-upcoming-mission\/"},"modified":"2026-10-16T05:58:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T19:58:08","slug":"nasa-to-help-unlock-mysteries-of-mars-moons-in-upcoming-mission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=578381","title":{"rendered":"NASA to Help Unlock Mysteries of Mars\u2019 Moons in Upcoming Mission"},"content":{"rendered":"

NASA is playing an important role in JAXA\u2019s (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) MMX (Martian Moons eXploration) mission, to advance our understanding of Mars\u2019 moons and build on the agency\u2019s long history of exploring the Red Planet.<\/p>\n

The mission aims to characterize and determine the origin of Mars\u2019 moons Phobos and Deimos and deliver a sample of Phobos to Earth. The MMX spacecraft is targeting launch from JAXA\u2019s Tanegashima Space Center in Japan at 3:41 p.m. EDT on Monday, Oct. 19 (4:41 a.m. JST on Tuesday, Oct. 20).<\/p>\n

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\"Artist's<\/a><\/figure>
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An artist\u2019s concept of JAXA\u2019s MMX spacecraft during its Mars\u2019 orbit insertion. The Martian moon Phobos, which MMX will explore and sample, is in the background.<\/div>\n
JAXA<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThe samples from MMX will bring forth paradigm-shifting science on the Mars system for generations to come, especially as NASA prepares to send the first humans to Mars,\u201d said Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters in Washington. \u201cThe NASA-JAXA sample curation partnership is extremely valuable, and I am proud that NASA Science is supporting MMX sample curation and will be sharing portions of these samples for study as we continue to expand humanity\u2019s understanding of the universe for the benefit of all.\u201d<\/p>\n

NASA\u2019s contributions to the mission 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\u2019s Deep Space Network<\/a>, as well as funding United States scientists participating<\/a> on the MMX science team.<\/p>\n

Scientists have long debated the origin of Mars\u2019 two moons. 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cPhobos and Deimos may be the remains of a massive impact on Mars that sent material into orbit around the planet, or they could be ancient asteroids that were captured by Mars\u2019 gravity billions of years ago,\u201d said Tom Statler, MMX program executive and program scientist at NASA Headquarters. \u201cHaving the answer will help illuminate that early era when Earth and the other inner planets may have been acquiring much of their water and organic compounds.\u201d<\/p>\n

The MEGANE (pronounced meh-GAH-nay, the Japanese word for eyeglasses) spectrograph will help scientists \u201csee\u201d what Phobos is made of by measuring neutrons and gamma rays emitted from the moon\u2019s surface and determining its chemical elemental composition, which will provide important clues about its origin.<\/p>\n

Mounted on one of the spacecraft\u2019s landing legs, the P-Sampler is designed to collect a ground sample from Phobos. The system gathers surface material using bursts of high-pressure nitrogen gas, complementing JAXA\u2019s C-Sampler, which will extract cores from a few inches deeper. NASA will obtain and curate about 15% of the total returned sample at the agency\u2019s Johnson Space Center Astromaterials Lab<\/a> in Houston, making it available for research for decades.<\/p>\n

Another key part of NASA\u2019s contribution to MMX is its scientific partnership with JAXA. NASA-supported researchers are working alongside international colleagues to help reveal the story of Phobos and will use mission data and returned samples to uncover new clues about the moon\u2019s origin and the evolution of the Mars system.<\/p>\n

The MMX spacecraft will arrive at Mars in August 2027 to begin its survey of the Red Planet\u2019s two moons. After surveying Phobos in detail, the spacecraft will collect a sample of the moon\u2019s surface no earlier than December 2028 and deliver it to Earth in 2031.<\/p>\n

The MEGANE instrument was developed by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. Honeybee Robotics, a Blue Origin company, developed the spacecraft\u2019s pneumatic sampler mechanism. NASA\u2019s contributions to the MMX mission were developed under the agency\u2019s Discovery Program. The Discovery Program is managed by NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for the agency\u2019s Science Mission Directorate in Washington.<\/p>\n

For more information about the MMX mission, visit: <\/p>\n

https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/mission\/mmx<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Karen Fox \/ Alana Johnson
Headquarters, Washington
240-285-5155 \/ 202-672-4780
karen.c.fox@nasa.gov<\/a> \/ alana.r.johnson@nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\n

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NASA is playing an important role in JAXA\u2019s (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) MMX (Martian Moons eXploration) mission, to advance our understanding of Mars\u2019 moons and build on the agency\u2019s long history of exploring the Red Planet. The mission aims to characterize and determine the origin of Mars\u2019 moons Phobos and Deimos and deliver a sample [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-578381","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t