Artemis 1 has finally launched!
Launch
Amidst the dark quiet of the night of November 16th, 2022, the most powerful rocket to launch from Florida since the 1970s, lifted off. With a deafening loudness and blinding brightness, the Space Launch System (SLS) launched for the first time, on a mission to pave the way for the return of humans to the Moon. This historic early-morning launch, Artemis 1, occurred 6 years after Congress originally told NASA to launch it, and has a long history of delays and cost overruns. In my most recent blog article, I wrote about the past, cost, and politics behind this mission and the plans that NASA has been making to return to the Moon for nearly 50 years. These plans are finally more than just plans. NASA is going back to the Moon-and they plan to stay.
A fuel leak was spotted in the hours before launch, and an expert team of technicians known as the "red team" was dispatched. They successfully adjusted a few nuts and bolts, and the countdown was able to proceed.
Artemis 1 will last for 25 days and will end with the Orion spacecraft reentering Earth's atmosphere and landing in the ocean near San Diego on December 11th. By that time NASA will have thoroughly tested the Orion spacecraft in space and taken some awe-inspiring pictures that can be remembered for generations. If all goes well, then NASA will continue to prepare for the manned Artemis 2 mission, which is scheduled to launch in 2024.
But mostly overlooked in the excitement of this mission, were 10 small satellites deployed from SLS in the hours after launch. I created an excellent page about these satellites, and here I will talk about the status of each of these shoe-box-sized explorers.
CubeSats
The ten small satellites launched with Artemis 1 are 6U CubeSats, and each has a different mission. Most are demonstrating new technologies, while also collecting scientific data about the Sun, Moon, or radiation environment of space. These CubeSats were located in the Orion Stage Adapter dispensers, between the Orion spacecraft and SLS second stage (the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage, or ICPS).
These CubeSats were loaded into their dispensers and then stacked on top of other SLS components in October 2021. However, they didn't have a way to stay charged during the 13 months of launch delays that followed. Many people were worried that the CubeSats' batteries were depleted, making it hard for them to complete their mission. NASA was able to recharge some of the CubeSats when SLS was rolled back to the Vehicle Assembly Building, but some couldn't be accessed or would have created safety concerns if recharged.
Here is the status of the ten CubeSats, two weeks after launch, with links to Twitter pages providing updates about the missions. Additional updates about these CubeSats, and Artemis 1, can be found on blogs.nasa.gov, or https://twitter.com/NASAMoon.
ArgoMoon
Approximately 3 hours and 40 minutes after launch, the first five CubeSats were deployed. To witness these deployments and take close-up images the Italian ArgoMoon CubeSat was selected to fly on Artemis 1. A few minutes after it was deployed ground controllers established contact with the CubeSat. Unfortunately, they weren't able to gain control of the CubeSat fast enough, and it sounds like no photos of the other CubeSats or ICPS were taken. However, they were able to take excellent photos of the Earth and the Moon. ArgoMoon's mission isn't over yet, ground controllers plan to test some of the new technologies on the CubeSat, including optical communication.
BioSentinel
BioSentinel was also released with the first group of CubeSats and has successfully contacted ground teams. They will soon rehydrate their yeast cells and study how deep-space radiation affects them. BioSentinel uses NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN) to communicate with Earth.
EQUULEUS
The Japanese plasmasphere-studying CubeSat, EQUULLEUS, was deployed about 3 hours and 40 minutes after launch. A few hours after deployment JAXA successfully contacted it, and it has been operating normally. It has successfully performed its first orbit maneuver and lunar flyby. It has communicated with ground controllers via NASA's DSN.
OMOTENASHI
The other Japanese CubeSat that was deployed, OMOTENASHI, had the ambitious goal of landing a tiny payload on the Moon. But after deployment ground controllers at JAXA, the Japanese space agency, weren't able to establish a stable connection. They learned that OMOTENASHI was rotating out of control. JAXA has given up on landing OMOTENASHI on the Moon and has launched an investigation into why the mission has failed. They are optimistic that they can regain contact with the CubeSat in March 2023, and perform some tests in deep space.
Lunar IceCube
Lunar IceCube was successfully deployed and ground controllers have contacted it. Since then I have heard no information on it, except that ground controllers have contacted it. In a few months, Lunar IceCube is scheduled to enter orbit around the Moon. Both NASA's DSN and a 21-meter dish at Morehead State University are being used to contact the spacecraft.
NEA Scout
NEA Scout, likely the most notable of the ten CubeSats, is in trouble. Ground controllers haven't been able to establish contact with it, and they're running out of time. They sent messages to the CubeSat telling it to deploy its solar sail, hoping to use its reflective shiny surface to locate it. If they are able to contact NEA Scout then NASA will use its solar sail to sail to asteroid 2020 GE, becoming the smallest spacecraft to ever flyby an asteroid.
LunaH-Map
LunaH-Map has a very ambitious goal ambitious: mapping ice on the Moon. And it was built by a very experienced team at the University of Arizona. The CubeSat, which is part of NASA's struggling SIMPLEx program, successfully deployed 5 hours and 33 minutes after launch and contacted ground controllers. But on November 17th, they discovered that the propulsion system wasn't working and LunaH-Map couldn't perform its thruster firing during its lunar flyby on the 21st. However, if ground controllers can get the thruster to work in time, LunaH-Map could still enter orbit around the Moon and complete its scientific goals.
LunIR
To demonstrate a new infrared sensor and miniaturized cryocooler, Lockheed Martin built LunIR. However, the signal coming from LunIR is weaker than expected, and stable contact hasn't been established. Unlike most of these other CubeSats, LunIR is not using NASA's Deep Space Network to communicate. To reduce strain on DSN, the company KSAT was hired to provide communications. Using their antennas in Norway, Chile, and Argentina, LunIR has been able to communicate with Lockheed Martin.
Team Miles
The only remaining competitor in NASA's CubeQuest Deep Space Derby challenge is Team Miles. This little CubeSat was built by citizen scientists in Tampa, Florida, and has the goal of testing out a new kind of ion thruster and a software-defined radio. Nothing has been heard about this CubeSat.
CuSP
The last CubeSat to be deployed, over 8 hours after launch, was CuSP. CuSP has three scientific instruments and the goal of studying solar radiation. Ground controllers were able to contact it shortly after deployment. However they have not been able to contact it since, and the mission may have been lost.
Conclusion
These CubeSats are considered high-risk missions for a reason. With their untested technologies, higher reliance on off-the-shelf parts, and the numerous delays in the launch of Artemis 1, it was expected that many of these missions would fail. And many did.
Only 4 of these CubeSats have begun their missions well, while the other 6 have experienced problems. But even though many of these CubeSats won't complete their scientific goals, they still have things they can do. Ground controllers hope to contact their CubeSats and try to figure out what went wrong. This can allow them to improve their technologies so that the next CubeSats don't fail.
I'm excited to see more awe-inspiring photos from ArgoMoon, I didn't expect their photos to turn out so magnificently. I also hope that both LunaH-Map and Lunar IceCube can make it into lunar orbit and begin mapping lunar ice. But I'm even more excited for the next batches of deep-space CubeSats. I'm excited for the small lunar orbiters, landers, asteroid missions, and space weather stations that will launch alongside the big, iconic missions of the future. I'm excited for the missions that will follow these 10 pioneers. I'm excited for satellites the size of a shoebox to launch in all directions from Earth, to "Explor[e] the secrets of the universe for the benefit of all."
