10 Things You Didn't Know are Flying on Artemis I
10 CubeSats will hitch a ride on the Artemis I mission. Learn how these science experiments and technology demonstrations aim to make new discoveries about our solar system.
CubeSat Story Intro 1 (2022-08-23) by NASANASA
Artemis I
When the Artemis I mission launches this fall, the flight test will mark the beginning of increasingly complex missions to the Moon. Although uncrewed, Artemis I will be the first integrated flight test of the deep space exploration systems that will take astronauts to the Moon.
CubeSat Story Intro 2 (2022-08-23) by NASANASA
Hitching a Ride
Along for the ride are 10 CubeSats: cost-effective mini researchers, each about the size of a shoebox. These CubeSats will hitch a ride on SLS and deploy on various trajectories following Orion’s departure toward its lunar orbit.
CubeSat Story Intro 3 (2022-08-23) by NASANASA
All Aboard
The Artemis I CubeSats will reach their individual destinations using a variety of technologies that include electric and microelectronic propulsion, a solar sail, and a star tracker that navigates by recognizing galaxies and planets.
Lunar IceCube (2022-08-23) by NASA/Wes BuchananNASA
Lunar IceCube
Lunar IceCube’s mission is to find volatiles and water on the Moon’s surface and map their location using an infrared spectrometer. Lunar IceCube also has the world’s only propulsion system powered with iodine propellant.
Lunar Polar Hydrogen Mapper (2022-08-23) by NASA/Wes BuchananNASA
LunaH-Map
LunaH-Map, short for Lunar Polar Hydrogen Mapper, is a tiny spacecraft that will embark on a 60-day mission that includes 141 orbits around the Moon. The spacecraft will produce a detailed map of portions of the lunar surface by using neutron spectroscopy technology.
Outstanding Moon exploration Technologies demonstrated by Nano Semi-Hard Impactor (2022-08-23) by NASA/Wes BuchananNASA
OMOTENASHI
Outstanding MOon exploration Technologies demonstrated by NAno Semi-Hard Impactor (OMOTENASHI) is designed to test the technologies and trajectory maneuvers that allow a small lander to touch down on the Moon while keeping its power, communication, and propulsion systems intact.
Lunar Infrared Sensor (LunIR) (2022-08-23) by NASA/Wes BuchananNASA
LunIR
LunIR will use a mid-wave infrared sensor to take images of the Moon’s surface. The data will help NASA learn about the Moon’s composition, structure, and interaction with the space environment to minimize risks that may occur during future deep-space crewed and robotic missions.
CubeSat to study Solar Particles (CuSP) (2022-08-23) by NASA/Wes BuchananNASA
CuSP
The CubeSat to study Solar Particles (CuSP) will be one of the first CubeSats to travel in interplanetary space, the region around the Sun and planets of our solar system. This satellite is dedicated to studying the dynamic particles and magnetic fields that stream from the Sun.
NEA Scout (2022-08-23) by NASA/Wes BuchananNASA
NEA Scout
Near-Earth Asteroid (or NEA) Scout will be the first interplanetary CubeSat to travel by solar wind and sail propulsion by using sunlight to generate movement. It will attempt to determine the physical properties of a near-Earth asteroid, such as its shape, volume, and debris.
EQUilibriUm Lunar-Earth point 6U Spacecraft (2022-08-23) by NASA/Wes BuchananNASA
EQUULEUS
EQUULEUS (EQUilibriUm Lunar-Earth point 6U Spacecraft) will live within the libration zone, a unique orbit behind the Moon that relies on Earth, lunar, and solar gravity. The spacecraft’s primary objectives are to observe and characterize the dust environment in the Moon's orbit.
ArgoMoon (2022-08-23) by NASA/Wes BuchananNASA
ArgoMoon
ArgoMoon features advanced software, based on fast on-board image processing, to guide the CubeSat’s navigation and maneuvers in proximity to the interim cryogenic propulsion stage of the SLS rocket, to capture pictures of the Artemis I mission in progress.
BioSentinel (2022-08-23) by NASA/Wes BuchananNASA
BioSentinel
BioSentinel will be the first long-duration biology experiment to take place beyond Earth orbit and contains a microfluidics card, which leverages the physical properties of liquids and gases at a microbic scale, to study the impact of interplanetary space radiation on yeast.
Team Miles (2022-08-23) by NASA/Wes BuchananNASA
Team Miles
The Team Miles CubeSat will operate autonomously using a sophisticated onboard system. It will demonstrate propulsion technology that uses plasma thrusters with low-frequency electromagnetic waves to control its altitude.
CubeSat Story Conclusion (2022-08-23) by NASANASA
To the Moon
NASA is providing a ride for CubeSats on Artemis I to test innovative propulsion technologies, study space weather and landscapes, analyze the effects of radiation on organisms, and provide high-resolution imagery of the Earth and Moon.
