NASA outlined its contributions to Japan’s Martian Moons eXploration mission in an October 15 update. JAXA is targeting launch from Tanegashima at 3:41 p.m. Eastern on October 19, corresponding to the morning of October 20 in Japan.

MMX is intended to investigate whether Phobos and Deimos originated from an impact on Mars or were captured asteroids. The spacecraft will study the moons and collect material from Phobos for return to Earth.

NASA’s contributions include the MEGANE instrument, which measures gamma rays and neutrons to investigate elemental composition, and a pneumatic sampler designed to gather surface material using nitrogen-gas pulses. The Deep Space Network will support communications and navigation.

The mission plan calls for arrival at Mars in August 2027, sampling no earlier than December 2028 and sample delivery to Earth in 2031. NASA expects to curate approximately 15% of the returned material at Johnson Space Center in Houston.

The launch and sampling sequence remain planned operations. The mission’s scientific questions are the reason for collecting measurements and samples, not conclusions already established by the launch announcement.