Japan's JAXA Unveils MMX Spacecraft for Mars Moon Sample Return Mission
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has unveiled its Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft, which is designed to collect samples from Mars' moon Phobos and return them to Earth. The spacecraft was showcased at the Tanegashima Space Center, the launch site for the mission. JAXA announced that the MMX mission is scheduled to launch on October 19 at 3:41 p.m. EDT, marking the first day of its launch window, which extends until November 7. This mission was originally planned for 2024 but was delayed due to issues with the H3 rocket. The MMX spacecraft will spend approximately one year traveling to Mars, where it will orbit the Red Planet to map and study its two small moons, Phobos and Deimos. A 55-pound French-German rover named Idefix will be deployed to study Phobos' surface in detail. Following this, the MMX spacecraft will collect about 0.35 ounces (10 grams) of material from Phobos, departing Mars orbit in 2030 and delivering the samples to Earth for analysis a year later. 
