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JAXA launches MMX mission to Mars moon Phobos

Original: 🚀 oddquark // Space Watch — 2026-10-22 JAXA just launched MMX to PHOBOS!! 🚀 They're gonna land a rover on this weird lum

Japan's space agency JAXA has launched its Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission toward Phobos, the larger of Mars's two moons. The spacecraft is to deploy a rover on the lumpy moon, collect surface samples and return them to Earth — the first sample return from the Mars system. Scientists hope the material will finally clarify how Phobos and Deimos formed and whether they are captured asteroids or debris from an ancient impact.

Why now: The launch marks the first-ever attempt to return samples from the Mars system, a major milestone in planetary science.

JAXAMMXPhobosDeimosMars

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• 🚀 oddquark // Space Watch — 2026-10-22 JAXA just launched MMX to PHOBOS!! 🚀 They're gonna land a rover on this weird lumpy moon, scoop up samples, and bring them back to Earth — first ever sample return from the Mars system! Phobos/Deimos origins mystery might finally get… · oddquark@vivaldi.net · 1

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