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2h ago

Argentina Joins NASA’s Artemis II as Pad Preparations Start for Early-February Launch Window

The CONAE-built Atenea CubeSat is integrated in the U.S. to fly as a secondary payload and test radiation, GPS and long‑range communications technologies.

El microsatélite Atenea junto a los científicos que lo fabricaron. Formará parte de la nueva misión de la Nasa que llevará personas a la Luna.
Image
NASA's Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft, secured to the mobile launcher, is seen inside the Vehicle Assembly building as preparations continue for roll out to Launch Pad 39B, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (Keegan Barber/NASA via AP)
El lanzamiento de la misión Artemis permitirá conocer si la luna podría ser un lugar habitable (Archivo)

Overview

  • NASA lists launch opportunities beginning February 6, with additional windows in March and April pending final preflight reviews.
  • Space Launch System and Orion are being transferred and assembled at Kennedy Space Center ahead of a Wet Dress Rehearsal that will set the exact target date.
  • Artemis II is a roughly 10‑day, no‑landing lunar flyby on a free‑return trajectory to validate crewed operations, life support, navigation and communications before Artemis III.
  • The crew comprises commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
  • Argentina’s participation centers on Atenea, a domestically built 12U CubeSat slated to measure deep‑orbit radiation, assess space‑ready components, collect GPS data for transfer orbits and verify long‑range links; media questioned an official claim of a 72,000 km human‑distance record, with later reports attributing that figure to satellite deployment.