JAXA's MMX: Phobos mission launched, ride on the H3
Where it stands: JAXA's MMX probe launched from Tanegashima Space Center aboard an H3 rocket on October 20 local time (October 19 Eastern), bound for Mars's moon Phobos. JAXA then reported that the mission completed its Initial Critical Operations Phase. Watch next for further phase announcements and any published timeline for the cruise to Mars and Phobos.
Latest
- 2026-10-21 JAXA announced completion of the Initial Critical Operations Phase for MMX (press release October 21 — global.jaxa.jp/press, relayed by Jeff Foust — x.com/jeff_foust), confirming the move from launch into early-mission health. Watch: subsequent phase announcements against the launch record above.
- 2026-10-20 Notizie reports the H3 rocket launched the MMX probe from Tanegashima Space Center at 4:41 a.m. local time October 20 (October 19, 3:41 p.m. Eastern), on a mission toward Mars's moon Phobos — the first appearance of the MMX/H3 launch in the record (notizie.it/en). Watch: post-launch trajectory confirmation and any published timeline for the mission's cruise to Mars and Phobos.
- 2026-10-19 JAXA is poised to launch MMX, a planetary probe set for a mission to study Mars's moons per NSF (nasaspaceflight.com/2026). Watch: launch date/window, the mission's science detail.