MMX
MMX is a planned Japanese mission to the Martian moons, aiming to return samples from Phobos.
MMX, short for Martian Moons eXploration, is a JAXA mission planned for launch in the mid-2020s. It aims to orbit Mars, study both moons, Phobos and Deimos, land on Phobos and bring back samples, which would be the first material returned from the Mars system.
The main scientific question is the origin of the moons. One possibility is that they are captured asteroids, perhaps similar to carbonaceous chondrites, because their spectra are dark and reddish. Another is that they formed from debris thrown off Mars by a giant impact, in which case they would contain Martian material.
Phobos is also thought to have collected fragments blasted off Mars by impacts throughout its history. Samples from Phobos might therefore include pieces of Mars itself, adding to what we know from Martian meteorites. MMX is designed to collect at least 10 grams of Phobos material using a coring device and a pneumatic sampler.
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