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Monday, October 19, 2026
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The Japan Times·Japan·

Japan launches probe in historic bid to collect sample from Mars moon

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Jessica Speed

The H3 rocket carrying the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) probe bound for Mars' moon Phobos rolls out to the launchpad ahead of its expected launch at Tanegashima Space Center on the southwestern island of Tanegashima, in Kagoshima Prefecture, on Monday.

The H3 rocket carrying the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) probe bound for Mars' moon Phobos rolls out to the launchpad ahead of its expected launch at Tanegashima Space Center on the southwestern island of Tanegashima, in Kagoshima Prefecture, on Monday. | REUTERS

Oct 20, 2026

Japan successfully launched its flagship H3 rocket carrying a probe bound for Mars’ moons early Tuesday, kicking off an ambitious five-year mission to retrieve samples that could shed light on the origins of the solar system and life on Earth.

The H3 rocket lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture at 4:41 a.m., carrying the Martian Moons eXploration probe, known as MMX, developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The probe is scheduled to separate from the probe 1 hour and 11 minutes after launch.

The mission marks the first time Japan’s flagship launch vehicle, the H3 rocket, has been used to send a spacecraft into interplanetary space. 

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