science
JAXA’s MMX Mission Launches to Study Phobos and Deimos
JAXA’s Martian Moons eXploration mission lifted off on an H3 rocket on 20 October 2026. It is planned to investigate Phobos and Deimos, collect a sample from Phobos and return to Earth.
Khabre desk
Planetary Science
Recent reporting, analysis and explainers from the Planetary Science desk.
science
JAXA’s MMX Mission Targets a Phobos Sample Return With NASA Support
JAXA’s MMX mission is targeting an October 2026 launch to study Mars’ moons and return a sample from Phobos. NASA is contributing a composition-measuring instrument, sampler technology, communications support and scientific expertise.
science
NASA to Contribute Instruments and Sample Technology to Mars-Moon Mission
NASA is contributing a science instrument, sample-collection technology and communications support to JAXA’s MMX mission to study Mars’ moons and return a sample from Phobos. The spacecraft is targeting launch on Oct. 19, 2026, with sample return planned for 2031.
science
Curiosity Captures Dawn Panorama of Mars’ Yardang Cliffs
NASA’s Curiosity rover captured a six-image dawn panorama of wind-carved cliffs on Mount Sharp. Mission scientists hope to reach the yardangs in 2027 and investigate how the distinctive layer formed.
science
Perseverance finds three episodes of water activity in Mars’ Margin Unit
NASA’s Perseverance rover found that the Margin Unit in Jezero Crater records at least three separate episodes of water-rock interaction, including a later episode involving heated underground water. The findings revise the picture of how water moved through early Mars.
science
Mercury shrank by about 23 kilometres as it cooled
An analysis of wrinkles across Mercury’s cratered surface suggests that the planet’s diameter has decreased by around 23 kilometres since it formed. The finding offers new constraints on how Mercury’s interior evolved over roughly 4.5 billion years.
science
Curiosity Finds Vast Field of Honeycomb-Like Textures on Mars
NASA’s Curiosity rover has discovered an unusually extensive field of polygonal fractures in a Martian valley. Scientists are studying whether the honeycomb-like patterns formed through drying, temperature changes or processes that compressed ancient sediments.
science
NASA Engineers Extend Voyager 2 Science Operations
NASA engineers have redesigned Voyager 2’s power use so that three science instruments can continue operating in interstellar space for at least one extra year. The change addresses the spacecraft’s steadily declining electrical supply after almost half a century in operation.