JAXA's Mars moon sample-return mission is set for launch on H3 flight No. 10 from Tanegashima

9 October 2026

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency plans to launch its Martian Moons eXploration spacecraft, MMX, on 20 October 2026 at 4:41:03 Japan Standard Time.
The launch vehicle is the H3 Launch Vehicle flight No. 10, from the Yoshinobu Launch Complex at the JAXA Tanegashima Space Center.
JAXA has set a reserved launch period from 21 October to 7 November 2026, and says the launch time may change within the window.
MMX is aimed chiefly at Phobos, one of the two moons of Mars, and also observes the second moon, Deimos.
The mission aims to return more than 10 g of material from Phobos to Earth, which would be the first return of samples from the Martian sphere.
It carries the IDEFIX rover, and the re-entry capsule is to be recovered in Australia in FY2031.