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Deep Dive: Japan launches mission to bring home a piece of the Martian moon Phobos

Ran in the 6:05 PM edition of LivePulse, Wednesday, October 21, 2026
Original reporting: Ars Technica Space · Stephen Clark, 2026-10-20

Japan launched a $578 million mission Monday on a five-year expedition to land on the largest moon of Mars and retrieve samples for return to Earth, a daring international project that could yield new insights into the formation of the Solar System. The robotic Martian Moons eXploration mission, known as MMX, lifted off at 3:41 pm EDT Monday (4:41 am Japan Standard Time Tuesday) from Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan.

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