Germany, France, and Japan have agreed to send a miniature research rover to Phobos. In this respect informs Universe Today.
Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) is a mission developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in collaboration with the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the French National Space Research Center (CNES). The key element of this mission is the Phobos rover.
At the Paris Air Show held in Le Bourget, France on 18-25 June, a tripartite agreement was signed, which envisages cooperation between agencies within the framework of the MMX mission. Under the agreement, DLR and CNES will provide the Phobos rover (officially named IDEFIX at the time of the event), including its vehicles and systems. The rover is currently in the final stages of development at the CNES lab in Toulouse and should be completed by summer 2023.
The MMX mission vehicle consists of three modules: a propulsion module, a probe module, and a sample return capsule. The research module has landing legs and a set of instruments (including samplers) and will carry an IDEFIX rover. The research module and sample return capsule are connected to the propulsion module, which houses the engines and fuel tanks. The rover will be equipped with cameras, a radiometer and a Raman spectrometer to study the surface of the Mars satellite.
The main task of the instrument is to find out whether the Martian moons are captured asteroids or the product of a collision of a larger body with Mars. Tentatively, the launch should be in 2024 and the device will arrive on Phobos in the second half of the decade.