About a year before its takeoff for the larger of the two moons of Mars, the small Franco-German vehicle was officially named IDEFIX at the Paris Air Show! The Japanese MMX mission, relatively unknown to the general public for the moment, does not lack ambition…
For the teams, the launch will mark the end of an impressive race against time!
The countdown is coming soon
Soon it will be weeks, then days. The last tests of the small rover of the MMX mission are currently taking place in Toulouse. Electromagnetic compatibility, communication tests between the main probe and the small Franco-German vehicle, simulated “dropping” tests thanks to the MECSS system (Mechanical and Electrical Connection and Support System, developed in Germany), the Toulouse summer still promises long hours of work for the engineers, researchers and technicians who take care of this pretty little robot, 41.5 centimeters high, weighing 25 kilos on the scale… and which now has a name!
The heads of CNES, the Japanese JAXA and the German DLR signed a tripartite agreement at the Paris Air Show a few days ago, and on this occasion baptized the small Franco-German vehicle, which is therefore called IDEFIX (for once again, it’s not an acronym).
A rover with dog
IDEFIX, which received its name after an agreement with Albert-René editions, is not just a reference to the courageous little dog who accompanies the two most famous Gauls in the world in their adventures. The very first French satellite was also called Asterix! A successful adventure which, all those who participated in the project hope, will bring a little extra luck!
It may be needed. Because MMX (Martian Moons Exploration), a Japanese mission that will take off next year, is particularly ambitious. It will join the Martian system in a few months, before stationing itself very close to Phobos (or in orbit around it) for precise mapping and a study of its surface until 2026. Then, in February 2027, the mission MMX will descend to deposit the IDEFIX rover on the surface, for a period of 100 days of operation.
The famous Hundred Days Campaign
A hundred days is a long time in an unfamiliar environment, with daily variations of 200°C between shade and sun, when its wheels can only propel this small vehicle at… one millimeter per second, which is still more than three kilometers per hour for its top speed. Ridiculous ? Not at all: if it goes faster and transmits too much energy to its wheels, IDEFIX could well fly away, the force of gravity which will hold it on the surface being really tiny. So that it can roll, it will therefore need patience. But the most important thing is that it progresses on the surface!
The Japanese agency will rely on the results of IDEFIX to take a sample from Phobos, which will be placed in a return capsule and repatriated to Earth later in its mission, after several years and an extended visit near Deimos, the other (smaller) moon of Mars.
A real odyssey for the Japanese probe, whose mission was inspired by the success of the country’s adventures with asteroids (Hayabusa 1 and 2). As for the small Franco-German vehicles, this is also a great tradition: Philae on comet Tchouri, Mascot on the asteroid Ryugu… and soon IDEFIX on Phobos! Come on, come on, IDEFIX!
Source : press.cnes.fr
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