A rocket from Japan starts into space. It brings a space probe to the planet Mars. A small robot is on board. His name is Idefix. Experts from Germany and France build him. The goal of the trip is the moon Phobos. Idefix is as big as a box for drinks. He weighs only 25 kilograms.
The trip takes long. The probe arrives at Mars in the year 2027. In the year 2029, Idefix lands on the moon Phobos. The probe drops him from high above. This works because Phobos has almost no gravity. The robot does not break upon impact. He explores the moon for 100 days.
Researchers want to know how the moons of Mars start. Idefix takes photos of the surface. Later, the big probe also lands. It collects rocks and dust. In the year 2031, these samples come to Earth. This is very important for science. It is the biggest space mission from Japan so far.
