In the skin of information. What you need to know about “Idéfix”, the little robot who is about to conquer a moon of Mars

It is a small robot whose name was unveiled this week by the National Center for Space Studies: “Idéfix”, in reference to the very first French satellite launched in 1965. The French have also largely participated in the financing of this new space mission, the MMX mission for Martian Moon Exploration. If the name “Idefix” was chosen, it is also because it is pronounced as easily in German as in Japanese, the mission’s two other partner countries.

A robot no bigger than a microwave

After long months of space travel, “Idéfix” will land on Phobos, a moon of Mars. The rover weighs 45 kilos and measures 25 centimeters. Its four small wheels will have to adapt to the undoubtedly rugged landscape of Phobos, to deal with the low gravity of this small moon 27 km wide.

Packed with cameras, the robot’s mission will be to explore the ground, and play the role of scout, to prepare the ground, since the ultimate objective is to collect rock samples to bring them back to earth. The challenges to be met are numerous, but the space agency claims to be counting on the “flair” and the “tenacity” from “Idefix”.

It will already be necessary that the Japanese rocket supposed to embark the robot succeeds in its launch: last March, it had received the order to self-destruct due to a failure of unknown origin. Not enough to give up, however, while the blue planet threatens to become uninhabitable, conquering Mars the red turns … to the fixed idea.