Mars-Mission: „Idefix“ fliegt zu Marsmond – Japanische Raummission startet
Japan will erstmals Proben von einem der Marsmonde zur Erde holen. Mit an Bord der Raumsonde: ein kleiner deutsch-französischer Rover namens „Idefix“.
Japan's MMX mission, carrying Germany and France's rover "Idefix," launched from Tanegashima Space Center on the island of Tanegashima in southwest Japan. The H3 rocket successfully propelled the spacecraft into space. The mission, known as Martian Moons eXploration (MMX), aims to study Mars' moon Phobos. The European-built "Idefix" rover is scheduled to touch down on Phobos in 2029, with the first-ever samples from the moon expected to return to Earth in 2031.
Phobos and its smaller sibling, Deimos, are among the few moons in the inner solar system that orbit terrestrial planets. Unlike Earth's moon, Phobos is irregularly shaped and significantly smaller, with its largest dimension measuring about 27 kilometers. Phobos orbits Mars at a closer range than Deimos. The MMX mission aims to shed light on the origins of these Martian moons, whether they are captured asteroids or formed from a meteorite impact on Mars.
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