Japan's national aeronautics and space research agency, leading in missions to the Moon, asteroids, and Mars moon Phobos.
Isar Aerospace has reached orbit on its second Spectrum flight and has deployed small satellites, making it the first purely commercial European launcher to do so. The success has prompted company plans to scale production and expand launch capacity as European governments and private firms ramp up investment in sovereign space capability.
Japan-led MMX mission has launched to study Phobos and Deimos, with a lander and rover designed to fetch samples from Phobos and return them to Earth by 2031. The mission involves multiple international partners including NASA and ESA.
Five space agencies have launched the MMX mission to land a robotic prospector and a rover on Phobos, Mars’ moon. The spacecraft has separated, paving the way for the Idefix rover and a two-hour surface operation planned for 2028-29, with a 2031 Earth return.