Mitsubishi Heavy IndustriesH3-24Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-2, Tanegashima Space Center, Japan
Martian Moons eXploration (MMX)
Image: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Summary
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ H3-24 launches Japan’s Martian Moons eXploration mission, aiming to land on Phobos, collect samples, and return them to Earth. A French/German rover will explore the surface.
- Watch
- No webcast announced yet.
- Window
- Instantaneous, Oct 19 19:41 UTCOct 20, 4:41 AM GMT+9 at the pad
- Vehicle
- H3-24 · Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
- Booster
- No booster details available.
- Mission
- Planetary Science · Mars Orbit (Mars)
- Milestone
- Planned as the 2nd H3-24 flight · 1st this yearMitsubishi Heavy Industries's 59th launch3rd this yearhumanity's 7,418th orbital launch attempt245th orbital launch attempt this year
Flight preview
Orbit: representative
Target site default for this orbit type. Not a catalogued object; this panel switches to the tracked orbit once the object is catalogued. Ascent drawn from padside's representative profile.
Flight timeline
- T−0Liftoff
- T+1M56SBoosters Separation
- T+1M58SBoosters Separation
- T+3M17SFairing Separation
- T+4M52SMECO
- T+4M59SStage 2 Separation
- T+5M12SSES-1
- T+10M40SSECO-1
- T+1H3M57SSES-2
- T+1H10M21SSECO-2
- T+1H11M12SPayload Separation
About this launch
Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) is scheduled to launch on a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries H3-24 from Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-2, Tanegashima Space Center, Japan on October 19, 2026 at 19:41 UTC. It is Mitsubishi Heavy Industries's 59th launch, 3rd this year and humanity's 7,418th orbital launch attempt. It is planned as the 2nd H3-24 flight and the 1st this year. The payload is bound for Mars Orbit (Mars).
MMX is a Japanese scientific mission to land on Phobos, one of the two moons of Mars, to collect samples before bringing them back to Earth. The mission includes a small French/German rover to explore the surface of Phobos.
News
Mars moon lander set to launch on 19 OctoberThe Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission is set to launch into space on a H3 rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center at 04:41 JST on 20 October 2026 (20:41 BST / 21:41 CEST on 19 October 2026). MMX will be the first mission to collect a sample from Mars’s moon Phobos and bring it back to Earth.
NASA Briefing to Highlight Contributions to Martian Moons MissionMedia are invited to join NASA for a media teleconference at 4 p.m. EDT, Thursday, Oct. 15, to preview the agency’s contributions to JAXA’s (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission. The mission is scheduled to launch from JAXA’s Tanegashima Space Center in Japan on Monday, Oct. 19 EDT (Tuesday, Oct. 20 JST). […]
Pad
Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-2, Tanegashima Space Center, Japan
Planned as the 19th launch from Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-2, 3rd this year · 100th from Tanegashima Space Center, Japan
Local pad time at liftoff: Oct 20, 4:41 AM GMT+9, at night
18 launches from this pad · 99 from Tanegashima Space Center, Japan
70 days after the previous launch from this pad
All launches from Tanegashima Space Center, JapanOpen in maps
Updates
Questions
When does Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) launch?
Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) is scheduled on October 19, 2026 at 19:41 UTC.
Where can I watch Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) live?
No webcast has been announced yet.
What rocket is launching Martian Moons eXploration (MMX)?
H3-24, flown by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. H3-24 spec sheet
Where is Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) launching from?
Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-2, Tanegashima Space Center, Japan. Liftoff is Oct 20, 4:41 AM GMT+9 local time at the pad.
What orbit is Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) going to?
Mars Orbit (Mars), a planetary science mission.