Led by JAXA, MMX is Japan's most ambitious space exploration mission to date, aiming to explore and return samples from the Martian moons. Building on the technological heritage of the JAXA Hayabusa missions, which pioneered landing on small celestial bodies and collecting samples, the MMX team is advancing daily alongside overseas space agencies, industry partners, and the global research community to develop the technology and operations needed to ensure mission success.

MMX Project Structure

• MMX Exploration Program Integrated System
  • Spacecraft System
    • Spacecraft Bus System
    • Mission Instruments
  • Ground System　
    • Mission Control System
    • Data Analysis and Archiving Systems
    • Tracking System
  • Sample Curation System

MMX has established international partnership agreements with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the French Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), the German Aerospace Center (DLR), and the European Space Agency (ESA). These agreements create a cooperative framework for enabling close collaboration across key mission areas, including the provision of onboard equipment, deep-space communication support, and ground station operations.

NASA (USA / National Aeronautics and Space Administration)

• • Gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer (MEGANE)
  • Pneumatic sampler (P-Sampler)
  • Ground station support (including control, receiving mission data)

CNES (France / Centre National d'Études Spatiales)

• • Near-infrared spectrometer (MIRS)
  • MMX rover (IDEFIX) (in collaboration with DLR)
  • Proximity operation support

DLR (Germany / German Aerospace Center)

• • MMX rover (IDEFIX) (in collaboration with CNES)
  • Provision of test facilities (drop tower, microgravity simulation)

ESA (Europe / European Space Agency)

• • Deep space communication equipment (Ka band)
  • Ground station support (control, receiving mission data)

ASA (Australia / Australian Space Agency)

• • ※ International cooperation to be finalised

※ Each organisation is also supporting the activities of participating scientists.

At MMX, we work closely with the scientific community in Japan and around the world through the establishment of our Science Strategy Team and seven Working Teams (WT). These teams lead mission operation studies, and to conduct continuous reviews to ensure that the scientific objectives of the MMX mission are fully realised.

Science Strategy Team (SST)

Working Team (WT)

• • Mission Operation Preparation Working Team

    Comprising of members from both the Systems and Science groups, this team is conducting studies for operation preparation.

  • Mission Operation Working Team

    Comprising of members from both the Systems and Science groups, this team is conducting studies for mission instrument observation operations in the Martian sphere.

  • Landing Operation Working Team

    Comprising of members from both the Systems and Science groups, this team is conducting studies related to the landing operations.

  • Rover Operation Working Team

    This team is studying the operation of the onboard MMX rover (IDEFIX).

  • Landing Site Selection Working Team

    Comprising of members from both the Systems and Science groups, this team is conducting studies related to the selection of the landing site.

  • Data Processing Working Team

    This team is planning for the processing of the mission data received from the spacecraft.

  • Sample Analysis Working Team

    This team is planning for the analysis of the delivered samples.

• Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
• The University of Tokyo
• Hokkaido University
• Institute of Science Tokyo
• The University of Aizu
• Nagoya University
• National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ)
• Chiba Institute of Technology
• Osaka University
• Rikkyo University
• Tohoku University
• Ibaraki University
• Kyoto University
• Kobe University
• Gakushuin University
• National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)
• Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (Riken)
• Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale (IAS)
• Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL)
• German Aerospace Center (DLR)
• Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur (OCA)