{
  "id": 15774042,
  "title": "Can Japan succeed where a Russian space mission failed? Tokyo’s new probe aims to bring home soil from Phobos, one of Mars’ two moons.",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/can-japan-succeed-where-a-russian-space-mission-failed-tokyos-new",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-20T17:33:18.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Meduza (English)",
    "slug": "meduza-english",
    "url": "https://meduza.io/en/feature/2026/10/20/can-japan-succeed-where-a-russian-space-mission-failed-tokyo-s-new-probe-aims-to-bring-home-soil-from-phobos-one-of-mars-two-moons"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On October 19, Moscow time, the Japanese spacecraft MMX launched toward Mars, with the goal of studying the planet's moons Phobos and Deimos, and returning a soil sample from one of them, according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). This mission could be a groundbreaking achievement, as no one has ever recovered a soil sample from a Martian moon before, as reported.",
  "summary": "Late on October 19, Moscow time, the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft, developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), launched toward Mars. Its mission is to study the Red Planet’s moons, Phobos and Deimos, and bring back a soil sample from one of them. The mission could mark a major milestone in space exploration: Scientists have never recovered a soil sample from a…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}