Story thread · 2 reports / 2 sources

Japan's Oct.19 Phobos Launch Carries Humanity's First Physical Martian Samples

techtimes.com · 7dShare

Japan Phobos mission 2026: JAXA will launch its MMX spacecraft on Oct. 19, carrying instruments to collect Phobos regolith that contains Martian surface ejecta -- humanity's only confirmed near-term path to physical Martian material after Congress cancelled NASA's $11 billion Mars Sample Return program.

First report: Japan's MMX mission will attempt to land on Phobos and bring Martian moon samples back to Earth — techspot.com, 7d