NASA Joins Japan’s Mission to Unravel the Mysteries of Mars’ Moons

NASA is collaborating with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) on an upcoming mission to investigate the origins and composition of Mars’ two moons, Phobos and Deimos. The Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission aims to collect samples from Phobos and return them to Earth in 2031, potentially providing new insights into the evolution of the Red Planet and the early solar system.

The mission will investigate whether the two moons formed from debris following a massive collision involving Mars or were asteroids captured by the planet’s gravitational pull. Scientists have long debated their origins because their characteristics offer clues to the processes that shaped the solar system billions of years ago.

NASA is contributing scientific instruments, sampling technology and communications support to the mission. One of its key contributions is the MEGANE spectrograph, which will analyse neutrons and gamma rays emitted from Phobos to help determine the elements present on its surface. The agency is also providing a pneumatic sampling system that uses pressurised nitrogen gas to collect material.

The spacecraft is expected to reach Mars in August 2027 and begin detailed observations of its moons. Sample collection from Phobos is planned for no earlier than December 2028, with the material expected to arrive on Earth in 2031.

NASA will curate approximately 15% of the returned samples at its Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, enabling researchers to conduct detailed laboratory analyses.

Scientists hope the samples will reveal important information about the moons’ geological composition and formation. The mission could also help clarify the relationship between Mars and its natural satellites, expanding scientific understanding of planetary formation and the history of the solar system.