JAXA's $350 million heist: land twice on a Martian moon and steal a piece of Mars

JAXA is about to perform a Phobos sample return mission

On 20 October, JAXA launches MMX, a car-sized spacecraft bound for Phobos, the battered 22-kilometer moon of Mars. It will touch down twice, use two novel extractors to collect a few tablespoons of material, and bring the haul back to Earth in 2031. Scientists are split on whether Phobos is a captured asteroid or debris from a giant impact, and roughly 1% of the sample may be Martian dust—possibly carrying traces of ancient life.