NASA Briefing to Highlight Contributions to Martian Moons Mission

Tom Statler, MMX program executive and scientist, Planetary Science Division, NASA Headquarters David Lawrence, MEGANE (Mars-moon Exploration with Gamma-rays and Neutrons) principal investigator, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory Kris Zacny, vice president, Blue Origin’s Honeybee Robotics Media interested in participating by phone must RSVP no later than two hours prior to the start of the teleconference to Molly Wasser at molly.l.wasser@nasa.gov . A copy of NASA’s media accreditation policy is online. The MMX spacecraft will arrive at Mars in August 2027 to begin its survey of the Red Planet’s two moons, Phobos and Deimos. After surveying Phobos in detail, the spacecraft will collect a sample of the moon’s surface no earlier than December 2028 and deliver it to Earth in 2031. NASA’s contributions to the mission include the MEGANE gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer, the spacecraft’s surface sampler mechanism, and communications and navigation support from the agency’s Deep Space Network , as well as funding United States scientists participating on the MMX science team. The MEGANE instrument was developed by Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. Honeybee Robotics, a Blue Origin company, developed the spacecraft’s pneumatic sampler mechanism. NASA’s contributions to the MMX mission were funded by the agency’s Discovery Program, which provides frequent flight opportunities for high-value, focused planetary science investigations. The Discovery Program is managed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. For more information about the MMX mission, visit: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/mmx/ -end- Karen Fox / Alana Johnson Headquarters, Washington 240-285-5155 / 202-672-4780 karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / alana.r.johnson@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Oct 08, 2026 Editor Jessica Taveau Location NASA Headquarters Related Terms Martian Moon Exploration (MMX) Mars Planetary Science Division Science Mission Directorate International observational observatories, orbital space missions, and planetary research institutes are producing unprecedented empirical datasets that challenge foundational paradigms across astrophysics, planetary geology, and fundamental physics.