MIRS will operate in the near-infrared to analyze Phobos’ surface composition and identify minerals, water, or organic compounds.
Idefix® will explore Phobos’ very weak gravity environment and study the moon’s surface properties to support sample collection planning.
The MMX mission will explore Mars’ moons Phobos and Deimos.
The MMX spacecraft will analyze Phobos and Deimos’ composition, investigate their origin, and return samples from Phobos to Earth.
CNES is validating moon observation scenarios for the MMX mission and designing two types of trajectories around Phobos, including low orbits for the probe during Idefix®’s mission.
The test campaign included a heliotropic sequence in which the Prototypix prototype tilted toward the Sun to simulate Idefix®’s battery-recharging maneuver on Phobos.
The test campaign included joint activities in which DLR used CNES’s 3D scanner to view terrain in three dimensions while CNES used DLR’s tracking system to monitor the rover’s progress in the Phobos yard.
Idefix® will attempt to land on and scout Phobos.
JAXA’s MMX mission will depart for Phobos at the end of 2026.
JAXA’s MMX mission is designed to explore Phobos and Deimos and investigate the origin of Mars’s tiny moons.
MMX aims to collect samples from the surface of Phobos, one of Mars' moons, and bring them back to Earth.
MMX will perform scientific observations of Phobos' terrain, internal structure, composition, and gravity.
The MMX Phobos sample return mission is scheduled to launch in 2026.
JAXA's MMX Phobos sample return mission is undergoing final testing.
The MMX Phobos sample return mission is expected to return to Earth with samples of the Martian moon in 2031.
MMX is scheduled to launch towards the Mars system in 2026, with plans to land on Phobos in 2029 and return samples to Earth in 2031.
The rover Idefix will investigate the geological, physical, and mineralogical properties of Phobos's surface and demonstrate mobility in low gravity.
The JAXA MMX mission aims to investigate the origins of the Martian moons Phobos and Deimos and the process of planetary formation in the solar system.
Phobos, lacking an atmosphere, has not experienced contamination from water.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will launch the Martian Moon eXploration (MMX) mission to Phobos and Deimos in September 2024.