9:00 AM - 9:15 AM
[PPS06-01] Martian Moons eXploration MMX: current status for launch in 2026
Keywords:Phobos, Mars, Martian Moons eXploration MMX
The Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) has moved its launch schedule from the originally planned FY2024 to FY2026 due to the delay in the development of the H3 launch vehicle. Although the second H3 flight test to recover from the first flight failure is scheduled for February 2024, the MMX launch will use a higher thrust configuration of H3 which needs further verifications of reliability.
Since the synodic period between Earth and Mars is approximately two years, the new launch window for MMX will be around October 2026. In the new schedule, the sample capsule will return to Earth in 2031, about two years later than the original plan. Nevertheless, MMX would be the first mission to bring back samples from the Martian sphere. MMX will also conduct the first full-scale close-up observations of the Martian moons, which reveal the origin of the Martian moons, early solar system processes to form Mars and Earth with habitable surface environments, and the evolution of the Martian sphere along with the sample analyses.
In response to the launch postponement, the operational plan after the entry into orbit around Mars is being intensively redrawn. The new operation schedule is not the simple 2-year shift of the original plan due to the change in timings of conjunction and the progression of the seasons of Mars during the spacecraft's stay around Mars. These changes in ephemeris affect the observation sequence restricted by the interception of communication with Earth behind the Sun and Mars and the solar power deficit during eclipses by Mars and Phobos. During the stay in the Martian gravitational sphere for about three years, the closest approach of Mars to Earth will happen near the middle of the stay, which is the same as the 2024 launch case. The original plan scheduled landing and collecting samples twice around the time of the closest approach because the communication delay between the spacecraft and the ground station becomes the shortest. In the new schedule, available time for observations for landing site selection decreases during the early half of the stay period. A solution being studied is that the first landing will be done around the closest approach and the second landing operation will wait about one year from the first landing. The communication delay during the second landing will be longer in this case, thus whether landing and sampling can be conducted safely is under examination. In addition, the plans for observation preparation, data acquisition, and production of science products are going to be modified to reflect the change in the sequence of scientific observations.
MMX has already entered the stage of manufacturing and assembling the flight model of the spacecraft and onboard mission instruments in parallel with the development of the ground system. The new preparation time gained by the launch postponement will be used to improve the completeness of the entire mission.
Since the synodic period between Earth and Mars is approximately two years, the new launch window for MMX will be around October 2026. In the new schedule, the sample capsule will return to Earth in 2031, about two years later than the original plan. Nevertheless, MMX would be the first mission to bring back samples from the Martian sphere. MMX will also conduct the first full-scale close-up observations of the Martian moons, which reveal the origin of the Martian moons, early solar system processes to form Mars and Earth with habitable surface environments, and the evolution of the Martian sphere along with the sample analyses.
In response to the launch postponement, the operational plan after the entry into orbit around Mars is being intensively redrawn. The new operation schedule is not the simple 2-year shift of the original plan due to the change in timings of conjunction and the progression of the seasons of Mars during the spacecraft's stay around Mars. These changes in ephemeris affect the observation sequence restricted by the interception of communication with Earth behind the Sun and Mars and the solar power deficit during eclipses by Mars and Phobos. During the stay in the Martian gravitational sphere for about three years, the closest approach of Mars to Earth will happen near the middle of the stay, which is the same as the 2024 launch case. The original plan scheduled landing and collecting samples twice around the time of the closest approach because the communication delay between the spacecraft and the ground station becomes the shortest. In the new schedule, available time for observations for landing site selection decreases during the early half of the stay period. A solution being studied is that the first landing will be done around the closest approach and the second landing operation will wait about one year from the first landing. The communication delay during the second landing will be longer in this case, thus whether landing and sampling can be conducted safely is under examination. In addition, the plans for observation preparation, data acquisition, and production of science products are going to be modified to reflect the change in the sequence of scientific observations.
MMX has already entered the stage of manufacturing and assembling the flight model of the spacecraft and onboard mission instruments in parallel with the development of the ground system. The new preparation time gained by the launch postponement will be used to improve the completeness of the entire mission.