Update: JAXA’s MMX Is Set to Launch Today at 2:41 p.m. CT

Update to my earlier post, JAXA’s MMX Launches Monday to Bring Home a Piece of Mars’ Moon Phobos. JAXA has locked in the schedule.

Launch details

• When: 2:41:03 p.m. CT today, Monday Oct 19 (4:41 a.m. JST Tuesday, Oct 20).
• Rocket: H3 Launch Vehicle Flight No. 10, from Tanegashima Space Center.
• Backup window: October 21 through November 9 if it slips. JAXA notes the time may vary within that period.

MMX aims to map Phobos and Deimos and bring a Phobos sample back to Earth. NASA is contributing the MEGANE instrument, a pneumatic sampler demo and Deep Space Network support.

My take

This is a pre-launch note. I’ll follow up once it flies. JAXA posted its pre-launch briefing on the JAXA Channel if you want to watch.

References & Further Reading

• Launch time of the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft (JAXA)
• NASA to Help Unlock Mysteries of Mars’ Moons (NASA Science)