Japan's Martian Moons eXploration spacecraft lifted off from Tanegashima on Oct. 20 in Japan (Oct. 19 in UTC), beginning a multiyear journey to Phobos and Deimos. The mission carries Idefix, a rover developed by Germany's DLR and France's CNES. If the schedule holds, Idefix will be released onto Phobos around the turn of 2028–29 and explore the surface for about 100 days, while the mothercraft studies the moon and later attempts to collect at least 10 grams of material for return to Earth in 2031. The science question is basic and still open: whether Mars's moons are captured asteroids or remnants of impacts. The launch is one step in answering it; the sample has not yet been collected.