Artemis-1 CubeSats
On November 16th, 2022, NASA launched the Artemis 1 mission. The primary purpose of the mission was to test out the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft before humans are put on it but NASA also used the mission to launch 10 small spacecraft on journeys throughout the solar system. These small spacecraft are testing out old and new propulsion systems that use solar pressure, water, and cold gas thrusters in unique ways. These daring adventurers are using new instruments and original communication systems to study the moon, asteroids, and Lagrange points and teach us about our cosmic neighborhood.
The spacecraft that launched on Artemis 1 are 6U CubeSats. CubeSats are small spacecraft that use standard sizes and shapes. The smallest normal CubeSats are 1U, 6U CubeSats are the size of 6 1U satellites.
The CubeSats were loaded into the Orion Stage Adapter in October 2021 and were later integrated with the rest of the SLS rocket. Artemis 1 launched on November 16th, 2022 from Kennedy Space Center.
Infographic Credit: NASA/Kevin O’Brien
The CubeSats were attached to the Orion Stage Adapter, which attaches the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) to Orion. After Orion separates from the ICPS the CubeSats will deploy and begin their mission.
Credit: NASA/Cory Huston
The CubeSats
Hover over the boxes below to read about the individual CubeSats. The light blue boxes tell about CubeSats that will not be flying.
The Near Earth Asteroid Scout will be NASA’s first interplanetary spacecraft to be propelled by a solar sail. Solar sails are very large sheets that use pressure from the sun to propel a spacecraft. The NEA Scout spacecraft will deploy a solar sail with a surface area of about 86m² (925 ft²) shortly after deployment. The small spacecraft will then use the solar sail to propel itself to a Near-Earth Asteroid, a type of asteroid that is potentially dangerous due to its proximity to Earth. NEA Scout will then use it’s camera to gather information about these potentially hazardous asteroids.
NEA Scout
Photo Credit: NASA
ArgoMoon is a cubesat that was developed by the company Argotec and the Italian Space Agency. It’s main purpose is to take high-resolution images of the ICPS (The second stage of the Space Launch System) as it deploys the other CubeSats. These images will give us a unique peek at what a rocket stage looks like after a launch, and could provide valuable information. ArgoMoon will use a new propulsion system called MiPS, which will combine cold gas thrusters with a green monopropellant.
Picture shows the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage since I couldn't find a copyright free image of ArgoMoon
ArgoMoon
Photo Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
BioSentinel
BioSentinel will perform the first long-duration biology experiment in deep space. The small CubeSat will study the effects of radiation on yeast for about 6 months. Radiation can cause DNA damage and can lead to cancer. Learning how radiation affects living things in deep space could help NASA plan safe missions to Mars in the future. The mission is led by NASA’s Ames Research Center.
Photo Credit: NASA/Dominic Hart
OMOTENASHI, which is an acronym for Outstanding MOon exploration TEchnologies demonstrated by NAno Semi-Hard Impactor, might become the smallest spacecraft to ever land on the surface of the moon. OMOTENASHI was developed and built by JAXA, the Japanese space agency. OMOTENASHI will navigate to the moon using cold gas thrusters. It will then release the descent module, which will land using a small solid rocket motor and an airbag. This mission may lead to other small spacecraft landing on the moon in the future.
OMOTENASHI
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Photo Credit: JAXA
The IR in Lunar IR stands for infrared, a kind of light that humans can’t see. LunIR will fly past the Moon and study the infrared light that is reflected off the Moon. It will collect this data using a novel Infrared sensor and cryocooler. The data collected can tell us about the surface of the moon, the minerals that reside there, and where water might be. The mission was designed by Lockheed Martin and the spacecraft was built by Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems. 3D printing was used in its construction of the satellite.
LunIR
Photo Credit: Lockheed Martin/NASA
In 2008, India’s Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft found proof that water was on the moon. NASA has many questions about this water, some of which may be answered with the help of Lunar IceCube. Lunar IceCube, which was built by Morehead State University, will work alongside other CubeSats to detect and map water ice on the moon. Lunar IceCube will use an instrument, nicknamed BIRCHES, that was developed by Goddard Space Flight Center. NASA can then use this information to select spots for human missions and lunar bases. Lunar IceCube will use a small Ion thruster to propel itself.
Lunar IceCube
Photo Credit: Morehead Space University/NASA
Photo Credit: JAXA
EQUULEUS, or EQUilibriUm Lunar-Earth point 6U Spacecraft, is another CubeSat developed by JAXA and the University of Tokyo. It has solar panels, three scientific instruments, and a water-powered propulsion system. EQUULEUS will experiment with using Earth-Moon Lagrange points and multiple lunar flybys to adjust its orbit. This data will help us better understand orbital dynamics. During this, EQUULEUS will study the plasmasphere, which is made up of air molecules that have been stripped from the Earth and been ionized by the Earth’s magnetic field. In addition, the CubeSat will measure the amount of micrometeorites that it encounters and count the amount of small items that collide with the Moon.
EQUUELUS
Photo Credit: JAXA/University of Tokyo
LunaH-Map is a shortened name for Lunar Polar Hydrogen Mapper. The mission was designed, operated, and built at Arizona State University. The mission is part of NASA’s SIMPLEx program and has a larger budget than most of the other CubeSats on this page. Using a very powerful neutron spectrometer LunaH-Map will map hydrogen on the moon. This can tell us where water is. It will take over a year for LunaH-Map to get into its polar orbit around the moon. After that, it will begin it’s 60 day science mission.
LunaH-Map
Photo Credit: LunaH-Map/Arizona State University
CuSP, or Cubesat for Solar Particles, will use it’s 3 scientific instruments to study the sun’s radiation. The Sun’s radiation has the potential to destroy our electric grid, mess up radio signals, and damage electronics. Which is why Heliophysicsts want to learn to predict solar flares and sunspots, which can cause sudden spikes in the sun’s radiation. CuSP will help us better predict solar radiation, and could be a prototype for a whole fleet of space weather stations that analyze the sun.
CuSP
Photo Credit: NASA
CubeQuest
CubeQuest is a competition sponsored by NASA that has led to the development of CubeSats with unique propulsion and communication systems. The competition has pitted private companies and universities against each other in multiple competitions based on Earth. The three winning teams are going to compete in the final round, in space. They will win prizes for distance traveled, and for communication capabilities that can add up to $5 million. Unfortunately, only one of the three winners will be ready in time for the launch of Artemis 1. Competitors in CubeQuest are marked with a light gray border.
Team Miles
The only competitor in the CubeQuest contest that will launch on Artemis-1 will be Team Miles. The Team Miles CubeSat was built by Miles Space, a non-profit organization. Their CubeSat will use water as the fuel for its Model-H ion thruster and a software-defined antenna.
Photo Credit: Miles Space
Lunar Flashlight
Lunar Flashlight was not prepared in time for flight, but was an interesting concept that may fly some time in the future. Lunar Flashlight would've worked alongside Lunar IceCube to detect water on the moon. The Lunar Flashlight spacecraft has a laser spectrometer and uses a different kind of propellant. Instead of the usual hydrazine, which is carcinogenic, the spacecraft uses a new “green” propellant called AF-M315E, which is non-toxic.
Lunar Flashlight has been rescheduled to launch as a secondary payload on Intuitive Machines' IM-1 mission in late 2022.
Photo Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Another one of the three winners of the CubeQuest challenge is Cornell University, who developed the Cislunar Explorers concept. They were unable to launch on Artemis 1, but their mission is too cool to not mention. The CubeSat that they developed is actually two that launch as one. After separation from the ICPS the 6U CubeSat will split into two P-shaped 3U CubeSats. Both of them use a unique propulsion system. They will take water, run electricity through it and split it into hydrogen and oxygen. This hydrogen and oxygen will then be used as rocket fuel.
Cislunar Explorers
I couldn't find a good image that I have permission to use.
CU-E3 (the CU stands for Cube and the E3 stands for Earth Escape Explorer) was one of the winners in the CubeQuest challenge. It will also not be flying on Artemis I. The concept was developed by the University of Colorado. The spacecraft was designed to deploy a large, flat, “planar” antenna once it arrives in space. This antenna will be able to transmit a lot of data quickly. Instead of equipping the spacecraft with a propulsion system, which would take up a lot of space, the spacecraft will use the Sun’s pressure to orient itself.
Earth Escape Explorer
Photo Credit: Team CU-E3
Conclusion
It's really exciting that these ten CubeSats are launching next March. These missions are some of the first in a new era of small interplanetary missions. Other small satellites that will explore the solar system are CAPSTONE and Janus, which will both launch next year.
If you want to learn more about any of the missions listed above, please visit the websites listed in my sources.
