The Latest Update on Japan's Newly-Launched Mission to Phobos...

JAXA

Completion of the Initial Critical Operations Phase of the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) Spacecraft (News Release)

Today, on October 21, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) confirmed that the critical sequence during the initial operations of the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft, which launched on October 20, was successfully completed and that the spacecraft is in good health. This marks the completion of the initial critical operations phase - the period following the spacecraft’s separation from the launch vehicle until the completion of a series of operations to establish spacecraft health, including deployment of the solar array paddles, establishment of three-axis attitude control, and release of the medium-gain antenna (MGA) hold-down mechanism.

JAXA will now conduct initial functional checks of the spacecraft’s onboard equipment while preparing for the outbound cruise operations phase towards the Martian system.

JAXA expresses its deepest gratitude to all those who provided cooperation and support for the launch, tracking and control of the MMX spacecraft.

Source: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency