NASA, in preparation for the Artemis II test flight launch, has entered into an agreement with the Argentine Space Agency. This new agreement is in light of the ATENEA CubeSat, which will launch with the Artemis II test flight.
Argentina Space Agency Will Launch Its CubeSat Aboard The Artemis II Mission
Over the past few months, preparations for the coming Artemis II test flight launch have almost doubled in intensity. Various space agencies around the world are moving to partner with NASA to launch CubeSat satellites into space with the test flight.
One such space agency is Argentina’s Comisión Nacional de Actividades Espaciales (CONAE), its official space agency. On 20 May 2025, NASA announced that it had officially entered an agreement with Argentina’s Space Agency on the launch of its ATENEA CubeSat aboard the Artemis II test flight.
This satellite will gather radiation dose data from various shielding methods. It will also measure the radiation spectrum around the Earth, collect vital GPS data for use in the optimisation of future mission designs, and validate its long-range communication link.
The Argentine Space Agency will deliver this satellite to the NASA Kennedy Space Centre in Florida this summer. Once available in the space centre, work to integrate it into the SLS (Space Launch System) spacecraft adapter will commence.
NASA is working to launch three other CubeSats on the upcoming Artemis II test flight mission. Aside from Argentina, the other countries that will launch their CubeSats on this test flight are Germany, South Korea, and Saudi Arabia.
What Are CubeSats?
Unlike other satellites, CubeSats, as their name implies, are cube-shaped and compact in nature. These smaller satellites are launched as secondary missions aboard a large rocket.
This is why the likes of Argentina, Germany, South Korea, and Saudi Arabia are turning to NASA to launch their CubeSats into space. Considering their miniature sizes, the four CubeSats that will launch with the Artemis II test flight mission won’t impact the mission in any way.
Regardless of their small size, these satellites will help to shape the design of future space missions. The data that these CubeSats to launch aboard the Artemis II test flight mission will help their respective countries better shape their space endeavours.