# JAXA’s $578 million MMX probe heads for Mars to collect samples from Phobos

Phobos has resisted every attempt to bring a piece of it home. In 1988 the Soviet Union launched two spacecraft toward Mars, each carrying a Phobos lander, and ground teams lost contact with both before either finished its mission. Russia tried again in 2011 with Phobos-Grunt, which failed shortly a

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| Published | 21 October 2026 |

Source: https://egamers.io/jaxas-578-million-mmx-probe-heads-for-mars-to-collect-samples-from-phobos/