Japan's mission to Mars's moons takes off

Summary

Japan's mission to Mars's two moons has taken off. The Martian Moons Exploration (MMX) mission launched from Japan on October 19, and it aims to land on one of the moons and scoop up rocks to bring back to Earth. The Economist and Hindustan Times report that the mission will collect samples and search for signs of ancient life. Live Science reports that experts say the samples could be transformative for science.

Timeline

1. The Economist

   21 Oct 2026, 22:12 UTCSource ↗

   The Economist reports that Japan's mission to Mars's moons has taken off, and that it will collect samples and search for signs of ancient life.

2. Hindustan Times

   22 Oct 2026, 06:30 UTCSource ↗

   Hindustan Times reports that Japan's mission to Mars's moons has taken off, and that it will collect samples and search for signs of ancient life.

3. Live Science

   22 Oct 2026, 16:46 UTCSource ↗

   Live Science reports that the MMX mission launched from Japan on October 19 and is on its way to Mars, where the probe will attempt to land on one of the planet's twin moons and scoop up rocks to bring back to Earth, and that experts say these samples could be transformative.