NASA-backed mission aims to land on Mars moon, bring samples home
After publishing: 1 description edited1 change
- Der Spiegel (Germany)seen 22 Oct, 07:13description edited
what the description said, before and after
Der Start einer neuen Marsmission ist geglückt. Vom japanischen Weltraumbahnhof Tanegashima ist eine Rakete zum roten Planeten aufgebrochen. Die Forschung könnte wichtige Erkenntnisse für eine bemannte Mission zum Mars liefern.Der Start einer neuen Marsmission ist geglückt. Vom japanischen Weltraumbahnhof Tanegashima ist eine Rakete zum Roten Planeten aufgebrochen. Die Forschung könnte wichtige Erkenntnisse für eine bemannte Mission zum Mars liefern.
After the peak, new reports halved every 7 hours so far - this story is still being covered, so the figure moves as reports arrive.
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+ 9 more outlets · 17 reports left out of the cascade - too little in common with the story to place
How it spread - 58 original reports, 2 reprints
Thu, 15 October 2026
1 report- Google News - Top Stories15:32
NASA-backed mission aims to land on Mars moon, bring samples home USA Today Mars moon lander set to launch on 19 October European Space Agency How did Mars get its moons? Japan's MMX space mission aims to solve the puzzle Phys.org Scientists hope to solve Mars’ moon mystery with historic sample mission NewsNation An artist’s concept of JAXA’s (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft at Mars. The Lufkin Daily News
Sat, 17 October 2026
1 report- Google News - Top Stories21:39first to report
Japan to launch Martian moon mission on Tuesday | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News NHKニュース Japan to launch world-first mission to collect samples from Martian moon The Guardian NASA to Help Unlock Mysteries of Mars’ Moons in Upcoming Mission NASA Science (.gov) Japan is launching a mission to Mars’s largest moon Phobos New Scientist Japan to launch spacecraft on a mission to get samples from a Martian moon AP News
Sun, 18 October 2026
9 reports- bordermail.com.au07:38
Japan is launching a spacecraft on a groundbreaking mission to bring back samples from Phobos, one of Mars'...
- Google News - Top Stories08:12
Japan to launch world-first mission to collect samples from Martian moon The Guardian Japan to launch spacecraft on a mission to get samples from a Martian moon AP News The New Phobos Martian Moon Rover That Weighs In At Only 15 Grams Hackaday Japan to launch historic round-trip mission to Mars moon Japan Today Returning samples from a Mars moon: Inside the science of Japan's bold MMX mission Space
- dunyanews.tv09:15
The spacecraft will arrive near Mars one year later, where it will orbit its moon Phobos for up to three years before landing and collecting at least 10 grams of material from the surface
- Channel News Asia09:20
The flagship H3 rocket carrying the MMX is set to blast off from the Tanegashima Space Center on Tuesday (Oct 20) at 4.41am.
- Anadolu Agency (AA)10:09
Martian Moons eXploration mission to be launched on Tuesday from southwestern Kagoshima prefecture
- South China Morning Post10:35
Japanese scientists are readying a mission to Mars’s moons to retrieve samples that could help unlock the origins of the Solar System and life on Earth, in what aims to be the first round trip to the Martian region. The uncrewed Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) probe, a collaboration with US and European space agencies as well as numerous universities and tech companies, could also help lay the groundwork for eventual human exploration. The flagship H3 rocket carrying the MMX is set to...
- Google News - Top Stories12:37
Japan to launch spacecraft on a mission to get samples from a Martian moon AP News Returning the first samples from a Martian moon: Inside the science of Japan's bold MMX mission to Mars Space Japan's MMX mission set to grab a piece of Mars's moon Phobos BBC JAXA's Martian Moons Exploration mission launch: how to watch live Mashable The New Phobos Martian Moon Rover That Weighs In At Only 15 Grams Hackaday
- Google News - Top Stories19:20
Returning the first samples from a Martian moon: Inside the science of Japan's bold MMX mission to Mars Space Japan's MMX mission set to grab a piece of Mars's moon Phobos BBC Japan to launch historic round-trip mission to Mars moon Phys.org JAXA's Martian Moons Exploration mission launch: how to watch live Mashable The New Phobos Martian Moon Rover That Weighs In At Only 15 Grams Hackaday
- BBC News World23:00
A spacecraft is set to launch on an ambitious mission to bring 10g of Martian moon dust back to Earth.
Mon, 19 October 2026
25 reports- Times of India03:35
- France Info (France)03:54
Menée par l'agence spatiale japonaise, cette mission prévoit notamment de rapporter sur Terre des échantillons de roches de Phobos, un des deux satellites naturels de la Planète rouge. La fusée décolle lundi, mais l'exploration de la surface débutera en 2028.
- Le Monde (France)04:00
L’imposante sonde, qui doit décoller lundi soir, devrait aider à élucider le mystère qui entoure la formation des deux satellites martiens, en ramenant sur Terre des échantillons du plus grand d’entre eux.
- Google News - Top Stories04:01
A Japanese Spacecraft Aims to Bring Back a Bit of a Martian Moon The New York Times Mars’ two tiny moons shouldn’t exist. A new mission will reveal why they do CNN Japan launching bold sample-return mission to Mars moon Phobos today: Watch it live Space NASA to Help Unlock Mysteries of Mars’ Moons in Upcoming Mission NASA Science (.gov) Japan’s sample return mission to Phobos may also collect some Mars dust Science News
- 24sata (Croatia)06:49
Japan u utorak planira lansirati misiju MMX, kojom želi prikupiti uzorke s Fobosa, jednog od Marsovih mjeseca, i vratiti ih na Zemlju do 2031. godine. Rover Idefix analizirat će njegovu površinu, a uzorci bi znanstvenicima mogli pomoći otkriti kako su nastali Marsovi mjeseci i kakva je bila rana povijest Crvenog planeta. Misija bi trebala trajati oko pet godina, a njezini rezultati mogli bi rasvijetliti i je li materijal od kojeg je Fobos nastao potekao s Marsa ili iz svemira.
- ČT24 (Czechia)09:52
Japonská agentura pro výzkum vesmíru (JAXA) se tento týden chystá vyslat sondu na jeden ze dvou měsíců Marsu – Phobos. Slibuje si od toho poznatky o vzniku obou měsíčních souputníků této planety. Mise, která má trvat pět let, by také mohla pomoci objasnit původ života ve Sluneční soustavě, napsala agentura AP.
- Google News - Top Stories10:00
Watch Japan launch a bold sample-return mission to Mars moon Phobos today Space Returning the first samples from a Martian moon: Inside the science of Japan's bold MMX mission to Mars Space How to watch Japan’s mission to Mars Popular Science A Japanese Spacecraft Aims to Bring Back a Bit of a Martian Moon The New York Times Mission set to blast off for Mars to grab a piece of its moon BBC
- Libération (France)10:57
La mission spatiale nippone, qui transporte le robot français Idéfix, doit décoller ce lundi 19 octobre vers les satellites de la planète rouge, Phobos et Deimos. Objectif : comprendre leur formation, celle de Mars et peut-être même éclairer l’apparition de la vie dans le système solaire.
- Vecernji list (Croatia)11:30
Znanstvenici se nadaju da će letjelica rasvijetliti podrijetlo Marsovih mjeseca i pružiti nove spoznaje o nastanku života u Sunčevu sustavu
- wkjc.com12:30
Phobos and Deimos over the surface of Mars. Asteroids satellites of the red planet in space. Close-up of Mars with the Moons. (Nazarii Neshcherenskyi/Getty Images)We've learned a lot about Mars since Mariner 4 took the first close-up photos of the red planet in 1965. Since that mission, orbiters, landers and rovers have explored the Martian surface, expanding our understanding of the planet.But we know very little about Mars' moons, Phobos and Deimos, including how they formed.Japan Aerospace...
- tportal (Croatia)13:18
Japanska svemirska sonda trebala bi u utorak biti lansirana prema Marsu s planom da 2029. godine na Marsov mjesec Fobos spusti njemačko-francuski rover Idefix
- Index.hr (Croatia)13:31
JAPANSKA svemirska sonda trebala bi biti lansirana prema Marsu s planom da 2029. godine na Marsov mjesec Fobos spusti njemačko-francuski rover Idefix.
- El País (Spain)14:27
El pequeño vehículo ‘Idefix’ intentará hacer historia al recolectar tierra del satélite marciano para mandarla de vuelta a la Tierra
- Channel News Asia18:57
The spacecraft is due to arrive near Mars around August next year, where it will orbit one of its moons, Phobos.
- Google News - Top Stories19:53
Japan launches historic MMX sample-return mission to Mars' moon Phobos Space Mission blasts off for Mars to grab a piece of its moon BBC Japan launches ambitious robotic mission to land on Martian moon Phobos, return samples to Earth CBS News A Japanese Spacecraft Aims to Bring Back a Bit of a Martian Moon The New York Times Mars’ two tiny moons shouldn’t exist. A new mission has launched to reveal their secrets CNN
- Times of India19:54
- Die Zeit (Germany)19:56
- Japan Times20:00
The five-year mission — the first to attempt to land on a Martian moon — could shed light on the origins of the solar system and life on Earth.
- Der Spiegel (Germany)20:11edited after publishing
Der Start einer neuen Marsmission ist geglückt. Vom japanischen Weltraumbahnhof Tanegashima ist eine Rakete zum Roten Planeten aufgebrochen. Die Forschung könnte wichtige Erkenntnisse für eine bemannte Mission zum Mars liefern.
- France Info (France)20:23
La fusée, avec à son bord une sonde spatiale et deux engins français, va tenter l’exploit inédit d’y récupérer des échantillons et peut-être de lever le voile sur les origines du Système solaire et de la vie sur Terre.
- Channel News Asia20:39
- PBS NewsHour20:54
Five of the world's space agencies have joined forces for the five-year mission that will attempt to land a robotic prospector plus a rover on Phobos, the larger of Mars' two moons.
1 reprint
- abcnews.com19 Oct, 19:41their copy
- ABC News (Australia)21:22
An international space mission aiming to collect sand and rock from one of Mars's moons is expected to land in Australia once the sample is retrieved.
- RMF24 (Poland)21:33
Próbki z księżyca Marsa trafią na Ziemię? Ruszyła japońska misja
- Le Monde English23:59
The probe is set to land on Mars moon Phobos, where it will collect at least 10 grams of material during its mission. Scientists hope it will reveal how the planet Mars and its two moons formed.
Tue, 20 October 2026
16 reports- Google News - Top Stories00:54
Japan launches spacecraft to mysterious moons of Mars in a bold mission to bring home soil samples AP News Mission blasts off for Mars to grab a piece of its moon BBC The mystery of Mars’ moons The Economist A Japanese Spacecraft Aims to Bring Back a Bit of a Martian Moon The New York Times Mars’ two tiny moons shouldn’t exist. A new mission has launched to reveal their secrets CNN
- Die Zeit (Germany)01:46
Japan hat mit deutscher Unterstützung eine Raumsonde ins All geschickt, um die Marsmonde zu erforschen. Für die Erkenntnisse könnte sich auch Elon Musk interessieren.
- Google News - Top Stories03:54
‘Once-in-a-lifetime chance’: Japan launches historic mission to collect rocks from Mars’s moon Phobos The Guardian Mission blasts off for Mars to grab a piece of its moon BBC Japan launches spacecraft to mysterious moons of Mars in a bold mission to bring home soil samples NBC News A Japanese Spacecraft Aims to Bring Back a Bit of a Martian Moon The New York Times Returning the first samples from a Martian moon: Inside the science of Japan's bold MMX mission to Mars Space
- Al Jazeera English04:08
Japan has launched a five-year uncrewed mission to collect samples from Phobos, one of Mars’ two moons.
- Euronews04:19
NASA has landed nine spacecraft on Mars over the past 50 years, and China touched down in 2021, but no one has returned samples from Mars, let alone its moons.
- Google News - Top Stories05:59
Japan launches mission to bring home a piece of the Martian moon Phobos Ars Technica Mission blasts off for Mars to grab a piece of its moon BBC Japan launches spacecraft to mysterious moons of Mars in a bold mission to bring home soil samples AP News A Japanese Spacecraft Aims to Bring Back a Bit of a Martian Moon The New York Times Mars moon lander set to launch on 19 October European Space Agency
- Wirtualna Polska (Poland)06:28
Japońska agencja kosmiczna JAXA pomyślnie wysłała w kierunku Marsa rakietę H3 z sondą MMX. Misja ma doprowadzić do pierwszego w historii sprowadzenia na Ziemię materiału pobranego z Fobosa, jednego z dwóch księżyców Czerwonej Planety. Start odbył się z centrum Tanegashima.
- northerndailyleader.com.au07:00
A spacecraft is rocketing towards Mars in a five-year mission bid to find out if life ever existed...
1 reprint
- maitlandmercury.com.au20 Oct, 07:00their copy
- Google News - Top Stories07:09
Japanese probe launches on mission to Mars to collect samples from Phobos DW.com Mission blasts off for Mars to grab a piece of its moon BBC Japan launches spacecraft to mysterious moons of Mars in a bold mission to bring home soil samples AP News Japan launches mission to return samples from Mars moon Reuters NASA to Help Unlock Mysteries of Mars’ Moons in Upcoming Mission NASA Science (.gov)
- DW Top Stories07:16
The MMX spacecraft is on its way to Mars' moon Phobos to collect surface samples that could help answer long-standing questions about the formation of the Solar System.
- Anadolu Agency (AA)07:38
Spacecraft to collect rocks and sand from Phobos before returning to Earth in July 2031
- Novinky (Czechia)09:18
Japonská sonda letí k Marsu. Ze střediska Tanegašima nad ránem místního času úspěšně odstartovala raketa H3, od které se o 71 minut a 13 sekund později oddělila sonda MMX. Ta má v příštím roce přistát na Phobosu, větším ze dvou měsíců „rudé planety“, a o tři roky později odtamtud poslat na Zemi 10 gramů vzorků z jeho povrchu. Dorazit mají v roce 2031. Pokud se ambiciózní plán podaří, může jít o základ budoucí japonské pilotované mise.
- Euronews09:21
Japan’s H3 rocket launched the MMX probe on Tuesday, starting a three-year mission to collect samples from Phobos and study the origins of the Solar System.
- Google News - Top Stories09:40
Japan launches spacecraft to mysterious moons of Mars in a bold mission to bring home soil samples Phys.org Japan launches mission to bring home a piece of the Martian moon Phobos Ars Technica Mars’ two tiny moons shouldn’t exist. A new mission will reveal why they do CNN NASA to Help Unlock Mysteries of Mars’ Moons in Upcoming Mission NASA Science (.gov) JAXA's Martian Moons eXploration Mission is on its Way to Mars and Phobos Universe Today
- 24sata (Croatia)11:07
Japanska svemirska agencija započela je ambicioznu misiju prema Marsovom mjesecu Fobosu s ciljem prikupljanja uzoraka tla, što bi moglo otkriti tajne nastanka ovog neobičnog satelita.
- Times of India11:48
JAXA, Japan's space agency, has launched a groundbreaking mission to retrieve samples from Phobos, a moon of Mars. The Martian Moons Exploration mission is designed to bring these samples back to Earth by 2031 for in-depth scientific investigation. Equipped with the Idefix rover, created in collaboration with French and German partners, the mission will conduct a 100-day exploration of Phobos.
Wed, 21 October 2026
6 reports- tportal (Croatia)07:02
Japan je lansirao u utorak bespilotnu svemirsku letjelicu prema Fobosu, jednom od Marsovih mjeseca, a cilj te misije je prikupiti uzorke s tog malog stjenovitog tijela i dopremiti ih na Zemlju radi analize
- 24sata (Croatia)07:41
Japan je započeo ambicioznu misiju s ciljem prikupljanja uzoraka s Fobosa, Marsova mjeseca, a rezultati bi mogli značajno doprinijeti istraživanju povijesti našeg Sunčevog sustava.
- arkansasonline.com09:00
A Japanese spacecraft rocketed toward Mars on Tuesday on a quest to explore its mysterious moons and bring back samples.
- physicsworld.com16:00
The Martian Moons eXploration mission will aim to return 10g of material back to Earth
- thestar.com.my19:44
TOKYO: (Bernama-Kyodo): The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) on Wednesday (Oct 21) confirmed that a spacecraft launched the previous day on a world-first mission to collect samples from one of Mars' moons is operating normally, Kyodo News reported.
- Google News - Top Stories22:12
Japan’s mission to Mars’s moons takes off The Economist World's first round-trip mission to Mars has launched — and could be a 'transformative leap' for science Live Science ‘Once-in-a-lifetime chance’: Japan launches historic mission to collect rocks from Mars’s moon Phobos The Guardian Mars’ two tiny moons shouldn’t exist. A new mission has launched to reveal their secrets CNN Mars moon dust could unlock secrets of the solar system NewsNation