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Capturing data…
Capturing data…
WED, 21 OCT · 81 ITEMS
AP, Scientific American, The Japan Times + 9 more · Science & Medicine
16 outletsThis is the launch of Japan's Martian Moons eXploration () spacecraft, carried by an from on October 20, 2026. MMX is headed to , the larger of Mars' two moons, to collect surface samples and return them to Earth — the first sample-return attempt from a Martian moon. The mission is designed to help settle whether Phobos and Deimos are captured asteroids or debris from a giant impact on Mars, and to gather data that could inform future crewed Mars exploration.
The claim is solid and well-corroborated: multiple reputable outlets (AP, The Guardian, BBC, Ars Technica, Japan Times) report the launch as fact, and the underlying primary source is JAXA's launch confirmation and mission material. Because the provenance is aggregated/secondary with no primary cited, specific figures such as mission cost or NASA's 15% sample share should be read as reported details rather than verified primary numbers.
Genuinely new: the launch occurred within the grounding publication window of 2026-10-19 to 2026-10-20, and no recirculation year applies.
We previewed this exact launch on October 19, 2026, the day before liftoff, and in August 2026 we reported that JAXA had set the MMX launch for October 20.