IDEFIX - The MMX Rover: one Year before Launch

The Martian Moon eXploration (MMX) mission by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA, is going to explore the martian moons Phobos and Deimos. Both moons will be investigated remotely from the mother spacecraft, that will also collect samples from the surface of Phobos, as well as by a small rover, IDEFIX, that will be delivered to Phobos surface and make in-situ investigations. The Rover carries a scientific payload of four instruments: RAX, a Raman spectrometer to measure the mineralogical composition of the surface material, NavCam, a stereo pair of cameras looking ahead to image the terrain and also support navigation, miniRAD a radiometer measuring the surface brightness temperature of both regolith and rocks, and two WheelCams looking at the wheel-surface interface, and thus investigating the properties and dynamics of the regolith. The cameras, will serve for both, technological and scientific needs. Landing of the rover is foreseen for late 2028 or early 2029 after a landing site selection process, considering technical and scientific aspects. The delivery will take place in context with the rehearsal of the first landing operations of the main spacecraft. IDEFIX will be released from an altitude of about 40 m, fall to the surface, upright itself and drive and carry out scientific investigations for about 100 days. The flight model of the rover is at JAXA/MELCO, integrated to the main MMX spacecraft and finalizing qualification and functional tests. Operational sequences, e.g. defining the interplay between locomotion and science instruments are currently prepared at the two Rover Control Centers, at CNES in Toulouse and DLR in Cologne. Launch of the MMX mission is planned for October 2026 from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan. The Rover is a contribution by the Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) with additional contributions from INTA and Univ. Valladolid (Spain) and Univ. Tokyo and JAXA.