France's Idefix robot set to launch toward Mars moon Phobos this week
The French-German built robot Idefix will lift off at 21:41 on Monday alongside Japan's MMX probe, aiming for Mars' moon Phobos by late 2028 or early 2029.
Developed by the Centre national d'études spatiales and Germany's DLR, the 20-kilogram Idefix rover is scheduled for launch on Monday night with the Japanese MMX spacecraft. Both will travel to the Martian system, where Idefix is intended to land on Phobos, one of Mars' two moons. The mission targets a touchdown window at the end of 2028 or the start of 2029, marking the first French robot to venture beyond Earth orbit.
Why it matters
Idefix will be France's first robot to explore another planet's moon, advancing international space research.
In this story
IdefixPhobosMars moonspace missionFrench robotGerman space agencyJapanese probelaunch
