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Space DeskJapan's MMX set to launch for Mars moon Phobos on Tuesday AustraliaPauline Hanson warns France-style riots will hit Australia AmplifiedAnberlin — Never Take Friendship Personal AustraliaNorth Adelaide Golf Course $55,000 contracts under fire AustraliaTwo teens arrested after Glenelg Moseley Square fight AmplifiedEmery — The Question Hacking DeskOpenCode breach exposes saved AI keys for 1.4% of users The WireCFB Wainwright fire kills 4 Canadian soldiers in Alberta AmplifiedDemon Hunter — Summer of Darkness AI DeskGrok Bot can phone restaurants to book tables, Musk says SpaceX DeskUS envoy warns EU of retaliation over Starlink spectrum AmplifiedNorma Jean — Bless the Martyr and Kiss the Child AI DeskMemphis votes on a data centre pause as Colossus grows Borderline DeskMigration fact-file: Australia's net overseas migration SpaceX DeskSpaceX will post its Q3 results on 20 October Tesla DeskTesla's Cybercab has no steering wheel. Who can tell it no?Tesla DeskTesla Q3 earnings: Musk bets on Optimus and Cybercab Tech DeskNeuralink's 50,000-hour brain model shortens calibration Borderline DeskCanada's asylum claimants down 69 per cent on 2024 Tesla DeskGlossary: what is Tesla FSD (Supervised)?

Monday 19 October 2026

Japan's MMX set to launch for Mars moon Phobos on Tuesday

JAXA's MMX is due to lift off on an H3 rocket at 6:11am Tuesday, Adelaide time. It aims to bring Phobos samples to Australia in 2031.

Liora Hale Monday 19 October 2026, open calendar7 min read

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Japan is about to try something no one has done. It wants to land on a moon of Mars, scoop up a bit of it and bring that dirt all the way home, and the capsule carrying it is meant to come down in the Australian outback.

Artist's concept of JAXA's MMX spacecraft during Mars orbit insertion, with the moon Phobos and Mars behind — Illustration: JAXA

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Liora Hale Monday 19 October 2026 at 12:10 pm Adelaide, open calendar7 min read

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