Japan fliegt ins Marssystem – rund um das Programm ist ein boomendes Weltraum-Ökosystem entstanden

Japan launches a mission to the Mars system, marking the beginning of a booming space ecosystem surrounding the program. On board is the Idefix rover, a joint venture between Germany's DLR and France's CNES. The mission aims to collect the first samples from the Mars system and return them to Earth. The German-French rover is expected to be the first spacecraft to land on a Martian moon.

This project is set to open one of the most important space markets. The mission highlights Japan's rise from a regional power to a major space player, both scientifically and economically. Despite being smaller than NASA or the European Space Agency, Japan's JAXA is considered one of the most efficient, according to Markus Grebenstein, a project leader on the German side.

The mission consists of several objectives: understanding the origin of Phobos and Deimos, developing technologies for future space exploration, and retrieving samples from the surface of a moon or planet. The journey takes five years, with the MMX spacecraft reaching the Mars system about a year after launch and staying for three years.

Idefix and the lander must land and move almost autonomously, and the return journey takes another year. Economically, the experience is expected to pay off, as JAXA plans to use the leading navigation and control technology in other projects. The rover's lightweight design for the moon could pave the way for new space ventures.

Japan's space industry is becoming increasingly attractive to European companies, with potential partnerships in exploration and dual-use applications in civil and military space activities.