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Idefix | MMX Rover German-French explorer 📍Japan ➞ Mars’ moon Phobos 🛰️ JAXA’s Martian Moons exploration mission 🔍 Quest: Explore Phobos!
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🚀🤖I’m Idefix® - part of JAXA’s Martian Moon exploration mission (MMX) to explore Phobos, one of Mars’ mysterious moons.
🤨I’m about to attempt something no rover has ever done.
Land on Phobos.
🥔A tiny potato-shaped moon orbiting Mars, millions of kilometres from Earth.
Almost no gravity. No second chances.
And every move I make must be carried out far from real-time control.
It won’t be easy… but I was built for exactly this.😎
My creators at @dlr.en and @cnes_france engineered me to explore this alien world – to scout the surface, analyse what it’s made of, and help prepare the main MMX spacecraft for landing. 🛰️ It will collect samples from Phobos and bring back the first material ever from a moon of another planet.
Time to show you what I can do. 😎🙂↕️
18 Jun 2026
Well, hello, hallo, bonjour and Kon’nichiwa! (How do they say ‘hi’ on Phobos?🤔) If we haven’t met yet – welcome👋 If we have, welcome back!
I’m IDEFIX®, a Franco-German rover from @cnes_france and DLR, currently in Japan getting ready for the biggest adventure of my life: a trip to the Martian moon named after fear itself. Honestly? I could use some company for the journey.
Follow along for a peak behind the scenes of JAXA’s( @jaxajp ) Martian Moons eXploration (@mmx_jaxa) mission, and find out:
🌚Why does Mars have moons? Why land on one?
💡What we hope to discover on Phobos
🛠️How I’m built for ultra-low gravity operations (and why that’s tricky!)
🚀From the years of prep, the waiting, the nerves, the tests – everything it takes to fly, fall, land and explore on a small and never-before visited Martian moon.
🛰️If you’re into space exploration, curious about what happens backstage or just want to see where this wild ride takes us – you’re in the right place.
Ready? Let’s go! 🚀 🤖
#phobos #rover #mmx #dlr #spaceexploration
29 Jan 2026
Hello, my name is IDEFIX! 👋✨
I’m a small and lightweight rover, all set to embark on a journey to the Mars’ system as part of JAXA’s Martian Moons eXploration mission.
My role? To make history as the very first rover to land on a moon other than our own, Earth’s natural satellite. Which moon, you may wonder?
My task involves landing on Mars’ moon Phobos, analysing its surface, and identifying ideal spots for sample collection. 🔴🪨
I was brought to life by my friends at DLR and CNES, and I’m now ready to tackle the next part of my adventure.
Will you accompany me on this incredible journey? 🚀
#MMXrover #IDEFIX #MMXmission #Mars #Phobos
26 Oct 2023
I’m on my way! 🚀
On 19 October at 21:41 CEST, MMX and I lifted off on a H3 rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan. What a ride! After years in the care of teams at DLR, @cnes_france and @mmx_jaxa , it’s now just MMX and me, heading for Mars. 🔴
Here’s what’s ahead of me:
🛰️ Summer 2027: we arrive at Mars, and MMX starts mapping its two moons.
🥔 Around the turn of 2028/2029: MMX drops me off 40 to 100 metres above the surface of Phobos. After a few bounces, I’ll get on my wheels, into the Sunlight and spend around 100 days exploring.
🪨 After that, MMX will join me, collect samples and take off again, bringing them home to Earth in 2031.
A huge thank you to everyone who got me this far – and to all of you for cheering me on. I felt every single good-luck wish. 💛
Next stop: Phobos! I’ll keep you posted along the way. #GoodLuckMMX
20 Oct 2026
Fly me to the moon… of Mars!
Tonight’s the night I finally lift off aboard MMX! More precisely, at 21:41 CEST from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan.
I’m buzzing with excitement – and a few butterflies too. 🦋 My bag is packed and ready for my new adventure.
Here’s what I’m bringing:
☑️ Four shiny wheels, to explore Phobos
☑️ Four cameras, to take the coolest photos ☑️ Solar panels, to soak up the sunshine
☑️ Two science instruments, to find out what Phobos is made of
🥰 Your good-luck wishes
Will you root for me tonight? Drop a 🚀 in the comments so I can feel you cheering me on all the way to Phobos! #goodluckmmx
19 Oct 2026
Some journeys come with a return ticket. Mine doesn’t. 🚀
I’ve always known Phobos would be a one-way trip, and I’m proud to go. After all, someone has to roll across that little moon first, and I was built for exactly this. Still, a rover is allowed to feel a bit homesick before launch, isn’t it? 🥲 Knowing I won’t be coming back has made me think about what I’ll miss most. Swipe through for my list. 👉
What would you miss most about Earth if you set off on a mission with no plan to return? 👇
I’m scheduled to launch on board the MMX mothercraft on 19 October 2026 at 21:41 CEST (20 October, 04:41 JST). 🥳
Don’t want to miss the livestream? Save the launch countdown in my story highlights to get a reminder.
08 Oct 2026
Idefix is a demonstration of the power of teamwork – within DLR and with our collaborators around the world 🤝
No mission gets to Mars alone, and Idefix is no exception. Its job within the MMX mission is to scout the surface of Phobos, helping the team to select a scientifically interesting site where the spacecraft can land safely and collect samples. 🌍🧪
The rover itself is also the product of collaboration. Idefix was created by several DLR institutes, together with CNES and external contributors. The COVID-19 pandemic also influenced its development: the remote-working skills the team developed during that time helped them collaborate on the rover at a distance, although they still value meeting face to face whenever possible.
28 Sep 2026
When we look up to the sky at night, we only ever see one moon from Earth. Neptune’s sky has 16, and Saturn’s sky is so busy it holds 293 (and we’re finding more and more). Then, there’s Mars with just two moons, Deimos and Phobos. Small, lumpy, cratered rocks that look more like asteroids than ‘proper’ moons.
And that’s exactly the mystery: after decades of study, scientists still aren’t sure how they got there. Phobos might be a primitive asteroid, captured by Mars’s gravity. Or it could be the shattered remains of a colossal impact on Mars itself, with debris clumping together in orbit – much like our own Moon is thought to have formed.
DLR’s Stephan Ulamec, science lead for the Idefix®️ rover, breaks down these two theories. The origin of the Martian moons is a question that reaches beyond the Red Planet. Understanding this provides insight into how rocky planets (like Earth) get their moons. This is the driving force behind the Martian Moons eXploration mission (MMX), that will deploy our Idefix®️ rover onto Phobos to find out.
Thumbnail image credit: NASA/JPL Caltech GSFC University of Arizona
23 Sep 2026
Meet Idefix® 🤖– the rover that’ll scout Mars’ mysterious moon before anyone else.
The origins of the Martian moons, Phobos and Deimos, have puzzled scientists since their discovery in 1877. No mission to either of them has successfully landed, to answer the question of how they formed. 🧐
But that’s about to change. 🤓
JAXA’s MMX (Martian Moons eXploration) mission will travel to Phobos to collect samples and bring them back to Earth for further analysis. But first, the German-French rover, Idefix® – developed by DLR and @cnes_france – will touch down to scout the terrain, analyse the surface and help scientists understand this unfamiliar, low-gravity world before MMX attempts its landing.
@idefix_rover_mmx will be the first rover ever to explore the surface of a Martian moon. 🔴🌙
15 Sep 2026
Ever wondered where Idefix gets its name? 👀🤖
🐶The rover is named after the small dog in the Asterix comics, but there’s a second layer to it. Idéfix comes from the French expression ‘idée fixe’ – a fixed idea, an obsession. 🧐
That’s exactly the mindset needed to build a rover that can survive a landing on a Martian moon. Idefix is fixated on its mission too, thoroughly prepared to safely reach the surface of Phobos. 🕵️🔍
The DLR/CNES rover is set to launch aboard JAXA’s MMX mission on 19 October 2026 at 21:41 CEST from the Tanegashima Space Center. 🇯🇵🎉
Learn more about Idefix’s journey and see live updates of the MMX mission on @idefix_rover_mmx
27 Aug 2026
Mark your calendars – I’ve got a date with Phobos! 🚀
My launch aboard the MMX spacecraft is scheduled for 19 October 2026 at 21:41 CEST (20 October, 04:41 JST). 🥳
An H3 Launch Vehicle will take us to space and closer to Phobos, lifting off from the Tanegashima Space Center. 🇯🇵 In case the countdown needs a little patience, we have a backup window open until 7 November 2026.
Behind the scenes, preparations are in full swing, so keep your eyes peeled for even more exciting news!
20 Aug 2026
I have a confession to make... 🫣 I’ve never touched soil. And I won’t, until I land on Phobos.
This is all because dust is my arch-enemy. 🙅 A single grain in the wrong place could damage my sensors, so everyone who builds me has to suit up – head to toe! 😷
All the testing and critical operations are carried out on prototypes – they’re my twins, if you will – to ensure the success of my pathfinding mission.
Questions about life before launch? Ask below. 👇
📸: DLR
12 Aug 2026
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