2023-06-21 14:41:32
Do you know this fantastic, daring, unique project to roll on the main moon of Mars? The Mars Moons Explorer – MMX – mission of the Japanese space agency (Jaxa) plans to leave Earth at the end of 2024, in order to study Phobos and Deimos, analyze their surface, take samples and bring them back to Earth . France is making an important contribution to this project.
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Here is a magnificent mission worthy of the Japanese Hayabusa program, which has twice brought asteroid samples back to earth. During the Hayabusa-2 mission, Cnes and the German space agency (German Aerospace Center or DLR) had embarked on board with the Mascot experiment, a box capable of moving on its own on the surface of the asteroid. The mission Mars Moons Explorer (MMX) will last 5 years, from liftoff to return of samples in the Australian desertdesert, including three years in orbitmartian orbit.
How the Idéfix rover will drive on Phobos? © DLR
Today, the shock trio is reforming. Almost four years following announcing it, Cnes, Jaxa and DLR have signed a partnership agreement at the Air and Space Show, while the roverrover has completed its assembly, and is preparing to be delivered to Japan in September. ” We are very proud to participate in MMX, a big thank you to the Jaxa “says Philippe Baptiste, Director General of Cnes.
The 25-kilogram rover was developed in a very short time, namely three to four years, which is impressive given the complexity of what it has to accomplish. The rover is currently in a clean room in Toulouse, where it is undergoing tests. Cnes notably brought the on-board computer, electrical power subsystems and other components.
His name will be Idéfix
During the official signing of the partnership, the name of the rover was finally revealed: it will be called Idéfix, like Obélix’s faithful companion. This choice reminds us that the very first French satellite put into orbit was called Asterix. For the occasion, we asked a few questions to Philippe Baptiste, Director General of Cnes.
Phillip Baptist: It was quite easy in Germany because comics are very popular there. We have also planned to offer them a complete collection! And our Japanese friends were quite open because it’s still a Franco-German rover.
Futura: This name is clearly a throwback to the history of French space…
Phillip Baptist: There is a double call. On the one hand, the rover is small, nimble, and resilient. It’s also a historical reminder of Asterix, but you don’t have to look for much more.
Phillip Baptist: The teams knew each other for the most part. We had very regular meetings at the highest level with Walther Pelzer [directeur de la DLR, ndlr] to follow the project, see where the difficulties were, and to coordinate all the partners because there are several in Germany while in France, it is overseen by the Cnes.
Futura: In addition to the Mirs rover and spectrometer, Cnes also provides MMX with its expertise in flight dynamics. Is this the first time?
Phillip Baptist: We’ve done it before. We have a lot of teams working on this. This is one of the great challenges, both for the probe and for the rover, because we do not know the geometry of Phobos, nor precisely its gravimetricgravimetric. It is a potato with a very low gravimetry. Consequently, it will be necessary to identify it, calculate it and make the corresponding flight dynamics in order to be able to make the approach accordingly.
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