Missions to Mars and its moons: notes for bank exams

At a glance

Mars has drawn orbiters, landers and rovers from several space agencies. India reached Mars orbit on its first attempt in 2014. In 2021 NASA, China and the UAE all arrived. Japan's MMX, launched in October 2026, aims to be the first mission to bring back samples from a Martian moon.

Key facts

Moons of Mars: two, Phobos (larger, closer to Mars) and Deimos (smaller, farther out)
Discovered by: Asaph Hall (US Naval Observatory), August 1877
Phobos size: about 22 km mean diameter; Deimos about 12 km
Mangalyaan (Mars Orbiter Mission, ISRO): launched 5 November 2013 on PSLV-C25 from Sriharikota; entered Mars orbit 24 September 2014 on its first attempt
Perseverance (NASA rover): landed in Jezero Crater on 18 February 2021
Tianwen-1 (China): its Zhurong rover landed in Utopia Planitia on 15 May 2021, making China the second nation to land a rover on Mars
Hope (UAE): an orbiter studying Mars's weather; reached Mars in February 2021
MMX (Martian Moons eXploration, JAXA): launched 20 October 2026 (JST) on H3 Flight No. 10 from Tanegashima Space Center
MMX goal: return more than 10 g of Phobos material to Earth in 2031

How it works

Missions come in three broad types: orbiters (study the planet from orbit, e.g. Mangalyaan, Hope), landers and rovers (work on the surface, e.g. Perseverance, Zhurong) and sample-return missions (bring material back to Earth, e.g. MMX).

Mission	Agency / country	Type	Arrival
Mangalyaan (MOM)	ISRO, India	Orbiter	Sep 2014
Hope	UAE	Orbiter	Feb 2021
Perseverance	NASA, USA	Rover	Feb 2021
Tianwen-1 / Zhurong	CNSA, China	Orbiter, lander, rover	Feb 2021 (orbit); May 2021 (landing)
MMX	JAXA, Japan	Moon sample return	Due 2027

MMX plan: After a cruise of about a year, the spacecraft studies Phobos from a quasi-satellite orbit between about 2027 and 2030. It makes two soft landings to collect regolith, observes Deimos, and leaves Mars around 2030. The return capsule is due to land in Australia in 2031. NASA, ESA, CNES and DLR are partners.

JAXA has done this kind of mission before: Hayabusa returned samples from asteroid Itokawa, and Hayabusa2 from asteroid Ryugu.

Timeline

1877: Asaph Hall discovers Deimos and Phobos
2013: Mangalyaan launched (5 November)
2014: Mangalyaan enters Mars orbit (24 September)
2021: Hope, Tianwen-1 and Perseverance arrive; Zhurong lands (15 May)
2026: MMX launched (20 October)
2031: MMX samples due back on Earth

Recent developments

20 Oct 2026: JAXA launched MMX on the tenth H3 rocket from Tanegashima. It is due to reach Mars in 2027 and bring back at least 10 g of Phobos material around 2031, which would be the first sample return from a Martian moon.

Exam traps

Phobos is the larger and closer moon; Deimos is the smaller and farther one. MMX's sampling target is Phobos.
Ryugu and Itokawa are asteroids (Hayabusa missions), not moons of Mars.
Mangalyaan launched in 2013 but reached Mars in 2014. It succeeded on India's first attempt.
Hope (UAE) is only an orbiter; Zhurong (China) and Perseverance (USA) are rovers.
MMX flew on Japan's H3 rocket, not the older H-IIA.

Quick check

Q: Which Martian moon is MMX meant to sample? A: Phobos.
Q: When did Mangalyaan enter Mars orbit? A: 24 September 2014.
Q: In which crater did NASA's Perseverance land? A: Jezero Crater.

Missions to Mars and its moons