#Phobos

Japan has launched the MMX spacecraft aboard an H3 rocket from Tanegashima. The $578 million mission is headed to Phobos, with Martian moon soil samples scheduled to return to Earth in 2031.

On October 19, JAXA will launch the MMX mission, the first spacecraft designed to land on Phobos and return soil samples to Earth. On board is the PlanetVac sampler, funded by The Planetary Society.