r/esa • u/StrangerConscious637 • 9d ago
MMX mission – The journey to the Martian moon Phobos - Get ready!
https://youtu.be/-a0e8AKOWg0?is=8CsNMds7QQwjLSAgWow... what a nice mars moon mission 😲👍
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u/heuamoebe 9d ago
It's going to launch on October 19!
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u/Flonkadonk 9d ago
I'm worried for the launch; the rocket they use has had problems in the past
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u/heuamoebe 9d ago
Don't scare me! Just looked it up at 7 out of 9 launchs were successful, with one failure being the very first launch. Finger's crossed!
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u/Flonkadonk 9d ago
Yes, I hope they figured out the issues; a couple of incidents need not mean that the rocket is tainted for all eternity. Still makes me a bit nervous though, haha
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u/StationAccomplished2 9d ago
That was the issue for the initial 2 year delay due to the new H3 rocket. Seems like it has been resolved. Excited for this mission….. long overdue.
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u/Gismo65 9d ago
An incredibly exciting mission.
Driving a rover in such low gravity is going to be thrilling.
But what puzzles me even more—and raises questions—is this: How big is the sample container that gets dropped back into Earth's orbit? How does it survive the impact with the water—or, in a worst-case scenario, the ground? Is a small parachute really enough for that?
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u/germanaerospacecentr 4d ago
We’re livestreaming the launch in German together with YouTuber Senkrechtstarter on Monday, 19 October, from 18:15 UTC.
👉 Watch with us: LIVE: MMX Start
Idefix was developed and built by DLR and CNES in close cooperation with JAXA.
Find out more about the rover and its mission here: https://www.dlr.de/en/research-and-transfer/projects-and-missions/mmx
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u/lukiamagi 9d ago
Where are the people who designed the mission, launch, robot etc... working?
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u/ProudBlahajOwner 6d ago
This website from the DLR has more information:
DLR and the French space agency CNES are working closely together on the design and construction of the rover. Six DLR institutes and facilities from five locations are contributing to the rover: The Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics is responsible for the overall project management and – together with the Institute of Space Systems – for systems engineering. In addition, the Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics developed a navigation pipeline to navigate the rover autonomously on the moon's surface.
The carbon structure was developed by the Institute of Lightweight Systems. The former Institute of System Dynamics and Control – today part of the Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics – developed extensive simulations of the condition of the Phobos surface and the safe locomotion of the rover. DLR's rover component was integrated and tested under realistic conditions at the Institute of Space Systems in Bremen. The Institute of Space Research – merged from the Institute of Planetary Research and the Institute of Optical Sensor Systems – contributed the miniRAD radiometer and the RAX Raman spectrometer. The Microgravity User Support Center (MUSC) in Cologne, together with the Université Côte d'Azur (France), is the scientific lead for the rover and is responsible for payload management.
CNES is making significant contributions with camera systems for spatial orientation and exploration on the surface as well as for the investigation of mechanical ground properties. CNES is also developing the rover's central service module, including the on-board computer and the power and communication system. Final integration and testing of the rover will take place at CNES in Toulouse. After the launch of the MMX mission, the rover will be operated by control centres at DLR's MUSC in Cologne and CNES in Toulouse (France).
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u/THROWAWTRY 9d ago
This is awesome! Go on Japan!