NASA Details Contributions to Japan's MMX Mission to Mars' Moons

NASA has outlined its scientific and technological contributions to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission. Scheduled for launch on October 20, 2026, the MMX mission aims to investigate the origins of Mars' two moons, Phobos and Deimos, and return the first samples from Phobos to Earth in 2031. NASA will permanently acquire at least 15% of the returned samples for scientific analysis, building on previous sample-return collaborations.