Some of the Artemis 1 mission cubesats are thriving after launching a lunar mission on Nov. 16, but a handful are struggling in deep space.
Artemis 1, the first flight of the Artemis program, launched early Wednesday morning (November 16). NASA’s massive Space Launch System rocket successfully sent an unmanned Orion spacecraft on a journey to the moon, along with a group of cubesats aimed at carrying out various science missions in deep space.
As of November 18, NASA officials have confirmed that ArgoMoon, Biosentinel, Equuleus, LunaH-Map, and OMOTENASHI are all operational, although OMOTENASHI has been experiencing issues these days and may have met its last chance to connect with Earth, according to one of the mission scientists. Most other spacecraft have also registered since then, although some are having issues.
In picture : A breathtaking view of the debut of NASA’s Artemis 1 lunar rocket
NASA recharged some of the cubesats’ batteries after a September rollback of the Artemis 1 stack for shelter during a hurricane, but could not reach them all due to design or access issues (the cubesats should have been removed, further delaying the launch).
The agency didn’t provide an official update on which cubesats have or haven’t been recharged, though spacewatchers have been discussing the possibilities on social media and forums. (opens in a new tab) on the basis of the information they could collect from the people involved in the various missions.
The team has until midnight tonight (JST) for its last chance to land on the moon with OMOTENASHI. They are preparing for a long battle, but until time runs out, all possible preparations will be made for a moon landing.https://t.co/M80aceeIaZNovember 21, 2022
Spectacular images, however, are already pouring in from ArgoMoon showing both the moon and Earth, according to tweets from the official account.
Giorgio Saccoccia, president @ASI_spazio: Beautiful photos of the Earth and the Moon, our next home thanks to the #Artemis program! They were taken by our cubes in Argomoon on its transfer journey after the SLS split, essential to bring humanity back to the Moon! pic.twitter.com/dscSRdJ6zyNovember 19, 2022
New lunar photo for #ArgoMoon! The @ASI_spazio satellite developed and managed by @Argotec_Space, aboard NASA’s #Artemis I mission, captured this stunning image of the west side of the Moon at a distance of 170,000 km from our peak satellite. twitter. com/yjJFyKHv8sNovember 21, 2022
Both EQUULEUS and Luna-H-Map were on track for their lunar flybys, their official Twitter accounts said each last updated.
EQUULEUS will then make a lunar flyby. The closest approach to the Moon will be at 16:25 UTC on November 21, and the closest approach altitude is expected to be around 5000 km. Although the Moon is not visible of Japan at the time of the flyover, we pray for success.November 21, 2022
The spacecraft is healthy and all systems are GO for the next lunar flyby at 10:30 a.m. EST. Lunar Neutrons Incoming!November 21, 2022
Lunar IceCube was confirmed healthy after rolling out on November 17, according to the official Twitter account.
NASA’s Lunar IceCube mission made contact after deployment during @NASAArtemis launch. No bigger than a shoebox, Lunar IceCube includes Goddard’s BIRCHES instrument, which will use an improved infrared spectrometer to locate and study lunar ice. https://t.co/hWGvNmYhCsNovember 17, 2022
The CubeSat for studying solar particles (CuSP) has been connecting to NASA’s Deep Space Network regularly since launch, according to a Twitter update from someone working on one of the dishes in Canberra, Australia.
Early morning in Canberra and DSS36 supporting ARGO, DSS35 CUSP and DSS34 Artemis. DSS43 not in frame supports HMAP pic.twitter.com/U7WB8LEwnWNovember 17, 2022
However, other spacecraft are struggling and have not made contact with Earth since launch.
OMOTENASHI has passed its scheduled deadline to register for a scheduled moon landing and its status remains unclear at this time.
Terran Orbital, which operates the LunIR spacecraft, did not provide an update on its deployment since its Nov. 16 launch. User reports on Twitter suggest the spacecraft may encounter anomalies after launching into space.
🛰️ Company for Two! 🛰️#LunIR joins #CAPSTONE as the 2nd #lunar satellite developed by #TerranOrbital to launch this year in support of @NASA’s #Artemis program Full press release: https://t.co/9zwSIrKeeZ$LLAP #NASA #lockheedmartin # KSAT #infrared #mooncamera #sls #orion #launch pic.twitter.com/fYc5hNNFGCNovember 16, 2022
Near Earth Asteroid (NEA) Scout has also been silent since launch, although efforts are underway to retrieve it with NASA’s Deep Space Network of satellite dishes.
Radio communications have not yet been established for the citizen science cubes at Team Miles, according to people on Twitter listening to the CubeSats.
The status of the 10 Artemis carpoolsoperationalArgoMoonBioSentinelCuSPEQUULEUSLunaH-MapLunar IceCubeup, but anomaliesLunIROMOTENASHInot yet NEA ScoutTeam Mileshttps://t.co/Qt6oHpCZXdNovember 19, 2022
Elizabeth Howell is co-author of “Why am I taller (opens in a new tab)?” (ECW Press, 2022; with Canadian astronaut Dave Williams), a book on space medicine. Follow her on Twitter @howellspace (opens in a new tab). Follow us on twitter @Spacedotcom (opens in a new tab) Where Facebook (opens in a new tab).
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