Session
Swifty Session 1
Location
Utah State University, Logan, UT
Abstract
The JAXA MMX (Martian Moons eXploration) mission has the objectives to study Phobos, the largest moon of Mars, and to bring back to Earth a sample from its surface, to answer one main question: what is the origin of the Martian moons? This mission will be launched in 2026 and will last five years. MMX spacecraft, the orbiter, developed by JAXA will travel from Earth to Mars and then study Phobos and Deimos moons with a foreseen sample collection of Phobos soil. MMX will carry and drop a small rover, developed by CNES and DLR, on Phobos surface. This rover, called Idefix, delivered close to the sample collection area will perform soil characterization in order to secure MMX spacecraft landing It's designed to drive in very low gravity and low power availability for a hundred days, moving thanks to four wheels and carrying a couple of instruments to study Phobos composition. The electronic elements of the rover are in a nanosat size stack. CNES was in charge of most of the rover internal subsystems, the flight software, the mission analysis and thermal and mechanical architectures. DLR was in charge of the rover chassis, shutters, separation and locomotion systems. CNES and DLR share the system, operations and project lead. The RF communication between the rover and the orbiter is performed thanks to an intersatellite link using two S-band transponders. Their design is a heritage of the Rosetta-Philae mission combined to the needs brought by the nanosatellite markets. The article will present in a first part the development logic and the characteristics of these equipment. The communications during the mission will go through three different phases, each one associated to specific constraints. A second part of the article will focus on these phases and the impacts on the RF link. A third part will focus on the ISL qualifications, tests and measurements performed to comply with the mission and planning constraints.
MMX, The Next Generation of In-Situ Exploration Mission
Utah State University, Logan, UT
The JAXA MMX (Martian Moons eXploration) mission has the objectives to study Phobos, the largest moon of Mars, and to bring back to Earth a sample from its surface, to answer one main question: what is the origin of the Martian moons? This mission will be launched in 2026 and will last five years. MMX spacecraft, the orbiter, developed by JAXA will travel from Earth to Mars and then study Phobos and Deimos moons with a foreseen sample collection of Phobos soil. MMX will carry and drop a small rover, developed by CNES and DLR, on Phobos surface. This rover, called Idefix, delivered close to the sample collection area will perform soil characterization in order to secure MMX spacecraft landing It's designed to drive in very low gravity and low power availability for a hundred days, moving thanks to four wheels and carrying a couple of instruments to study Phobos composition. The electronic elements of the rover are in a nanosat size stack. CNES was in charge of most of the rover internal subsystems, the flight software, the mission analysis and thermal and mechanical architectures. DLR was in charge of the rover chassis, shutters, separation and locomotion systems. CNES and DLR share the system, operations and project lead. The RF communication between the rover and the orbiter is performed thanks to an intersatellite link using two S-band transponders. Their design is a heritage of the Rosetta-Philae mission combined to the needs brought by the nanosatellite markets. The article will present in a first part the development logic and the characteristics of these equipment. The communications during the mission will go through three different phases, each one associated to specific constraints. A second part of the article will focus on these phases and the impacts on the RF link. A third part will focus on the ISL qualifications, tests and measurements performed to comply with the mission and planning constraints.
