Japan Mars Moons
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency unveils a spacecraft for its Martian Moons eXploration mission at the Tanegashima Space Center in Minamitane, southwestern Japan, Aug. 13, 2026.
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Japan is launching a spacecraft on a groundbreaking mission to bring back samples from Phobos, one of Mars' moons. Scientists hope the five-year mission will reveal how Phobos and its sibling moon, Deimos, formed, potentially shedding light on the origins of life in the solar system. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's launch on Tuesday comes as other nations consider sending astronauts to Mars. Samples from Phobos could provide valuable data for future manned missions. Japan is leading the international effort, with support from NASA and other space agencies. The mission aims to return to Earth in 2031.
A Japanese spacecraft is rocketing toward Mars on a quest to explore its mysterious moons and bring back samples. Japan launched it before dawn Tuesday from the country's main spaceport. Five of the world's space agencies have joined forces for the five-year mission that will attempt to land a robotic prospector plus a rover on Phobos, the larger of Mars' two moons. While NASA and China have successfully landed spacecraft on Mars, no one has ever reached Phobos or its sidekick Deimos and no one has managed to fetch samples. If successful, Martian lunar soil and small rocks will arrive at Earth in 2031.
