Abstract

A CNES/DLR rover called IDEFIX will be deployed on the surface of Phobos in late 2028 or early 2029 as part of JAXA’s Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission. The goal of the rover is to travel across the surface of Phobos for at least 100 days, with autonomous guidance provided by the navigation cameras (a stereo pair). By taking stereoscopic images of the area around IDEFIX up to the horizon (resolution of a few millimeters at 1 m), the navigation cameras aim to provide answers to a number of scientific questions, such as the origin of the color dichotomy, the nature of space weathering processes, and the extent of dust transport and exogenous contamination on Phobos. Here we present the IDEFIX navigation cameras, including their ground calibrations, and the science questions they are intended to address. We also present the architecture of the data processing pipeline being developed at the Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Marseille to address the science objectives of the navigation cameras.