Media are invited to join NASA for a media teleconference at 4 p.m. EDT, Thursday, Oct. 15, to preview the agency’s contributions to JAXA’s (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission. The mission is scheduled to launch from JAXA’s Tanegashima Space Center in Japan on Monday, Oct. 19 EDT (Tuesday, Oct. 20 JST).

Audio of the media teleconference will stream on the agency’s website at:

https://www.nasa.gov/live

Participants in the briefing, who will provide an overview of the mission and NASA’s contributions, include:

• Lindsay Hays, acting director, Planetary Science Division, NASA Headquarters in Washington
• 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/

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Karen Fox / Alana Johnson
Headquarters, Washington
240-285-5155 / 202-672-4780
karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / alana.r.johnson@nasa.gov

Editor’s note: This release was updated Oct. 8, 2026 with the formal name of the summit.

NASA is launching two new science and technology initiatives to deepen scientific understanding and accelerate the innovation that will shape America’s future in space.

The initiatives are announced in conjunction with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy’s (OSTP) “Science: A Golden Age Summit” in Washington on Thursday with top U.S. agency leaders. The programs reflect NASA’s commitment to pioneering research and transformative technologies and advancing the Trump Administration’s vision as outlined in the July report to the President, Science: A New Golden Age. One focuses on peer review and the other on fellowship researchers.

“NASA has a proud history of pursuing bold ideas and achieving the near impossible,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “Under President Trump’s leadership, we are building on that legacy by creating new opportunities for great science, experimenting with how we evaluate and accelerate the best ideas, and investing in the next generation of researchers through the Genesis Mission Fellowships. We are entering a new Golden Age of American innovation and discovery, and NASA will be at the forefront.”

During a fireside chat, Isaacman and Michael Kratsios, assistant to the President for science and technology and director of OSTP, will discuss the following:

• Establishing a coordinated metascience initiative within NASA’s Science Mission Directorate to strengthen the reliability, efficiency, transparency, and overall productivity of the agency’s scientific practices. As part of this effort, NASA is expanding the agency’s use of dual anonymous peer review to ensure proposals are evaluated solely on their intrinsic scientific merit. This approach enhances fairness and supports innovative and unconventional research ideas. Started as a pilot program during the first Trump Administration, this initiative has helped position NASA as a leader in advancing best practices in scientific review.

• NASA will support 10 Genesis Mission Fellows, who are accelerated doctoral students with dual competencies in super intelligence (SI) and science or engineering. Fellows will work directly on NASA mission areas and conduct research at NASA laboratories, advancing SI-enabled scientific discovery. The fellowships will be based on NASA’s successful Future Investigators in NASA Earth and Space Science and Technology program.

NASA leads the nation in space exploration, scientific discovery, and technological innovation. Through these new initiatives, NASA will continue to inspire the world and drive progress in science and technology.

Learn more about NASA science at:

https://science.nasa.gov

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Camille Gallo / Elizabeth Shaw
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
camille.m.gallo@nasa.gov / elizabeth.a.shaw@nasa.gov