NASA's Artemis II mission, the first crewed flight beyond Earth orbit in over 50 years, launches today carrying Argentina's ATENEA satellite aboard the Orion spacecraft. ATENEA, a 12U CubeSat fully developed in Argentina, is the only Latin American participant selected from over 50 countries' proposals. The mission will test key systems en route to lunar orbit.
Orion spacecraft for Artemis II is scheduled to launch on April 1, 2026, at 18:24 ET (19:24 Argentina time) from Cape Canaveral. The crew consists of NASA's Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, plus Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency. It marks a 10-day test flight around the Moon, validating the SLS rocket, Orion capsule, and life support systems.
ATENEA, measuring 30 x 20 x 20 cm and weighing 15 kg, will deploy at 70,000 km from Earth as one of four secondary CubeSats. Developed by CONAE with UNSAM, UNLP, UBA, CNEA, IAR, and VENG, it beat proposals from 40 countries and joins selections from Germany, South Korea, and Saudi Arabia.
Objectives encompass measuring space radiation with silicon photomultiplier sensors, validating GNSS reception above GPS constellations, testing long-range communication links, and assessing electronics in extreme conditions. "ATENEA has two main tasks: test technology in space and scientific objectives," said Gabriel Sanca from UNSAM. Fernando Filippetti from UBA noted it will validate critical technologies for future missions.
Argentina signed the Artemis Accords in 2023 as the 28th country. The satellite will transmit data to CONAE stations in Córdoba and Tierra del Fuego, with a lifespan of about 24 hours before atmospheric reentry.
