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Artemis II, Ariane 6, and the Strategic Restructuring of Western Launch Architecture

Two rockets on launchpads with digital lines connecting towers, under a crescent moon. Sunset over ocean and hills sets a futuristic mood.

Abstract

The year 2026 represents a seminal inflection point in the trajectory of twenty-first-century aerospace engineering and planetary science. It is a year characterized not merely by the resumption of crewed deep space exploration but by the simultaneous maturation of next-generation astrophysical observatories and the restructuring of interplanetary logistical frameworks. For the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Space Agency (ESA), the launch manifests of 2026 are the culmination of decades of strategic planning, technological development, and geopolitical negotiation.

This report offers an exhaustive, academic-level analysis of the mission architectures, launch vehicles, and scientific payloads scheduled for operation or deployment in 2026. Central to this narrative is the Artemis II mission, which marks the return of human beings to the lunar vicinity after a hiatus of more than half a century. Concurrently, Europe’s recovery of autonomous access to space through the Ariane 6 and Vega C programs signals a stabilization of the continental launch sector. In the realm of astrophysics, the deployment of missions such as PLATO and the Roman Space Telescope (projected for late 2026 or early 2027) introduces revolutionary capabilities in exoplanetary characterization, utilizing advanced principles of asteroseismology and active wavefront control. Furthermore, 2026 serves as a critical "year of decision" for the Mars Sample Return (MSR) campaign, where the cancellation of legacy architectures gives way to rapid commercial innovation.

The following analysis dissects these developments, synthesizing technical specifications, orbital mechanics, and scientific theory to provide a holistic view of humanity’s expansion into the cosmos in the mid-2020s.

1. Introduction: The Geopolitical and Scientific Landscape of 2026

The exploration of space has shifted from the bipolar competition of the Cold War to a complex, multi-polar ecosystem involving international agencies, commercial behemoths, and emerging spacefaring nations. In this context, 2026 is not simply a calendar year of launches; it is a testbed for the sustainability of this new ecosystem.

For NASA, 2026 is the year of validation. The Space Launch System (SLS), often criticized for its cost and development timeline, faces its ultimate test: carrying a human crew. The success of Artemis II is a prerequisite for the sustained lunar presence envisioned in the Artemis Accords. Failure would necessitate a catastrophic rethinking of the United States' deep space policy.

For ESA, 2026 is the year of resilience. Having navigated the "launcher crisis" of the early 2020s—where the retirement of Ariane 5 and delays to Ariane 6 left Europe without sovereign heavy-lift capability—the agency now moves into a high-cadence operational tempo.1 The scientific portfolio for the year is equally ambitious, addressing fundamental questions about the habitability of the universe (PLATO), the health of our own planet (FLEX), and the dynamic relationship between Earth and Sun (SMILE).

This report creates a narrative thread connecting these disparate missions, arguing that 2026 marks the transition from "demonstration" to "operation" across the board—from the operational deployment of lunar-capable crew vehicles to the routine monitoring of stellar heartbeats and planetary fluorescence.

2. Artemis II: The Return of the Argonauts

The flagship event of the 2026 launch calendar is undoubtedly the Artemis II mission. Planned for no earlier than February 2026, with realistic windows extending into April, this mission represents the first crewed flight of the Artemis program and the first time humans will venture beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO) since Apollo 17 in 1972.3

2.1 The Strategic Necessity of Artemis II

Artemis II is often colloquially described as "Apollo 8 redux," but this comparison belies the complexity and distinct objectives of the modern mission. Unlike Apollo, which was a race to a single landing, Artemis is an infrastructure program designed to establish a permanent presence. Artemis II, therefore, is a systems qualification flight. Its primary objective is not exploration per se, but the rigorous stress-testing of the Orion spacecraft’s Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS), which could not be fully validated during the uncrewed Artemis I flight.5

2.2 The Launch Vehicle: Space Launch System (SLS) Block 1

The vehicle tasked with lofting the Orion spacecraft is the Space Launch System (SLS) in its Block 1 configuration. Standing 322 feet (98 meters) tall, the SLS is a super-heavy-lift expendable launch vehicle derived significantly from Space Shuttle heritage hardware, a decision driven by the desire to utilize existing supply chains and workforce expertise.6

2.2.1 Core Stage and RS-25 Engines

The backbone of the SLS is the Core Stage, the tallest rocket stage ever built. It holds 537,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and 196,000 gallons of liquid oxygen to fuel four RS-25 engines.6 These engines are flight-proven veterans; the specific units flying on Artemis II are refurbished main engines from the Space Shuttle program.

  • Performance: The RS-25 utilizes a staged combustion cycle, one of the most efficient forms of chemical propulsion, achieving a specific impulse (efficiency) of over 452 seconds in a vacuum.7

  • Thrust: Together, the four engines generate approximately 2 million pounds of thrust. However, this is insufficient to lift the massive stack off the pad alone.

2.2.2 Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs)

Providing 75% of the initial thrust are the two five-segment Solid Rocket Boosters. Based on the four-segment boosters of the Shuttle, these upgraded giants incorporate an additional segment of propellant, new avionics, and a modified grain design to tailor the thrust profile. Each booster generates 3.6 million pounds of thrust, pushing the total vehicle thrust at liftoff to 8.8 million pounds—15% more than the Saturn V.6

2.3 The Orion Spacecraft: Architecture of Survival

Perched atop the SLS is the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV). For 2026, the specific vehicle is designated CM-003 "Integrity".8 Orion is composed of two primary sections: the Crew Module and the European Service Module (ESM).

2.3.1 The Crew Module

The pressure vessel where the four astronauts will live is designed to sustain the crew for up to 21 days. It features advanced avionics, a glass cockpit, and the largest heat shield ever constructed, designed to withstand reentry temperatures of 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit generated by a return velocity of 25,000 mph (11 km/s).8

2.3.2 The European Service Module (ESM)

A critical differentiator from Apollo is the Service Module. While Apollo’s service module was American-built, Artemis utilizes a module provided by the European Space Agency and built by Airbus Defence and Space. The ESM provides propulsion, power, water, and oxygen.

  • Implications: This architecture cements the international nature of the program. NASA cannot reach the Moon without ESA’s contribution. The ESM for Artemis II includes redundant solar array wings and tanks for consumables that were only partially filled or simulated on Artemis I.9

2.4 Mission Profile: The Hybrid Free Return

The trajectory for Artemis II is a study in risk mitigation. Unlike the Distant Retrograde Orbit (DRO) of Artemis I, which required deep space insertion burns that could strand a vehicle if propulsion failed, Artemis II utilizes a Hybrid Free Return Trajectory.8

  1. Launch and Orbit: SLS places Orion and the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) into a highly elliptical Earth orbit (approx. 115 x 1,800 miles).

  2. Proximity Operations Demonstration: In a unique step for this mission, the crew will pilot Orion manually to detach from the ICPS, turn around, and approach the spent stage. This "prox ops" demo validates the handling qualities of the spacecraft for future docking with the lunar lander (Starship HLS) or the Gateway station.11

  3. Trans-Lunar Injection (TLI): The ICPS fires again to send Orion toward the Moon.

  4. Lunar Flyby: The spacecraft will loop around the far side of the Moon, coming within 6,400 miles (10,300 km) of the surface.8

  5. Free Return: Gravity mechanics ensure that even if the main engine fails after TLI, the spacecraft will naturally swing back toward Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean roughly 10 days after launch.

2.5 The Crew: The Artemis II Quartet

The crew selection reflects the diplomatic framework of the Artemis Accords, integrating Canadian participation directly into the critical path.

  • Commander Reid Wiseman (NASA): A decorated naval aviator and test pilot, Wiseman previously served as Chief of the Astronaut Office. His leadership experience is vital for a developmental test flight.12

  • Pilot Victor Glover (NASA): Glover will control the vehicle during the critical proximity operations. He is set to become the first person of color to leave low Earth orbit, a significant cultural milestone for the program.8

  • Mission Specialist Christina Koch (NASA): An engineer and physicist, Koch holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman. Her technical background is essential for the systems evaluation component of the mission. She will be the first woman to travel to deep space.9

  • Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen (CSA): Representing the Canadian Space Agency, Hansen’s inclusion acknowledges Canada’s contribution of the Canadarm3 robotics to the future Lunar Gateway. He will be the first non-American human to venture to the Moon.8

2.6 Secondary Payloads: The CubeSat Flotilla

While the crew draws the headlines, Artemis II carries a suite of secondary payloads housed in the Orion Stage Adapter. These 12U CubeSats (roughly the size of a microwave oven) are significantly larger than the 6U satellites flown on Artemis I, allowing for more robust propulsion and science instruments.11

The 2026 manifest confirms the following payloads, each representing a signatory of the Artemis Accords:

  1. TACHELES (Germany/DLR): The "Technological Application for CHaracterization of ELectronics in Space" (TACHELES) is a radiation experiment. It will measure the Linear Energy Transfer (LET) of cosmic rays and solar particles as they pass through shielded volumes. The data will validate models for radiation hardening of electronics, a critical technology for the longevity of future lunar rovers and the Gateway station.15

  2. K-RadCube (South Korea/KARI): The Korea Augmentation Satellite for Deep Space Radiation is designed to map the radiation environment in the transition zone between Earth's magnetosphere and deep space. It will characterize the proton and heavy ion flux that poses biological risks to astronauts.17

  3. ATENEA (Argentina/CONAE): This mission focuses on telecommunications and navigation. It aims to test whether GPS and Galileo signals (normally directed toward Earth) can be received and utilized for navigation at lunar distances, known as the "side-lobe" reception technique.8

  4. SWC-1 (Saudi Arabia): The Space Weather CubeSat-1 is a collaboration highlighted during diplomatic visits. It carries sensors to monitor solar X-ray flares and the interplanetary magnetic field, contributing to the global network of space weather sentinels.14

These satellites will be deployed after the Orion separates from the ICPS, ensuring they do not pose a collision risk to the crew. They will utilize their own propulsion to enter various high-Earth and lunar-transfer orbits.14

3. The Crisis and Resurrection of European Launchers

For the European Space Agency, 2026 is defined by the imperative to restore "sovereign access to space." The years 2023-2025 were marked by a "launcher crisis" where the retirement of the heavy-lift Ariane 5, the grounding of the light-lift Vega C, and delays to the new Ariane 6 left European institutional payloads reliant on American providers like SpaceX.1

3.1 Ariane 6: The Workhorse Returns

The Ariane 6 program is designed to be more flexible and cost-effective than its predecessor. It features a modular design with two variants:

  • Ariane 62: Uses two P120C solid boosters. Optimized for institutional missions (like Galileo or Earth observation).

  • Ariane 64: Uses four P120C solid boosters. Optimized for heavy commercial payloads and constellations.

3.1.1 2026 Milestones

By 2026, the Ariane 6 is expected to enter its "ramp-up" phase. A critical milestone for the year is the inaugural flight of the Ariane 64 variant.1 This flight is crucial for clearing the backlog of commercial contracts, most notably the deployment of Amazon’s Project Kuiper mega-constellation.

  • Amazon Kuiper: Amazon has contracted 18 launches on Ariane 6. The 2026 missions will begin deploying these broadband satellites in batches of 35-40, marking Ariane 6's entry into the high-volume constellation market.1

  • Booster Upgrade: Later flights in the Kuiper contract (potentially starting late 2026 or 2027) are scheduled to use an upgraded "Block 2" version with larger P160C solid boosters, providing even greater lift capacity.1

3.2 Vega C: Stabilizing the Light Market

The Vega C is the upgraded version of the Vega launcher, featuring a more powerful first stage (the P120C, shared with Ariane 6) and a larger second stage (Zefiro-40). Following a nozzle failure that grounded the rocket, 2026 sees the Vega C fully back in operation.

  • Management Shift: 2026 marks the first full year where Avio, the prime contractor, assumes responsibility for marketing and managing Vega C launches, separating from Arianespace. This restructuring is intended to make the launcher more responsive to market demands.1

  • Key Payloads: Vega C is the designated carrier for several critical ESA missions in 2026, including SMILE and FLEX.20

4. PLATO: The Clockwork of Stars

In December 2026, ESA plans to launch the PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars (PLATO) mission aboard an Ariane 62. PLATO represents a third-generation exoplanet hunter, following in the footsteps of NASA’s Kepler and TESS missions.22

4.1 The Quest for "Earth 2.0"

While thousands of exoplanets have been discovered, most are either gas giants or orbit faint stars that make detailed characterization impossible. TESS finds planets around bright stars, but its survey strategy (staring at a sector for only 27 days) biases it toward short-period planets—hot worlds close to their suns.24

  • The PLATO Advantage: PLATO’s strategy is to stare at large fields of the sky for up to two years. This allows it to detect planets with longer orbital periods (like Earth’s 365 days) around Sun-like stars. Crucially, it targets stars that are bright (magnitude 4–11), allowing ground-based telescopes to follow up and measure the planet's mass and atmospheric composition.25

4.2 The Science of Asteroseismology

The true revolutionary capability of PLATO lies in asteroseismology—the study of stellar oscillations.

  • The Concept: Stars are not solid bodies; they are fluid spheres of plasma that vibrate like giant musical instruments. These vibrations, or "starquakes," are driven by turbulence in the outer convection zones. The sound waves (pressure modes or p-modes) travel through the interior of the star.

  • The Diagnostic Power: The speed of sound inside a star depends on temperature and density. As a star ages, it fuses hydrogen into helium in its core. Helium is denser/heavier than hydrogen, which alters the sound speed in the core. This change shifts the frequencies of the oscillation modes that penetrate the deep interior.

  • Why It Matters: By measuring these frequency shifts with extreme precision, PLATO can determine the age of a star with an accuracy of 10%.27 This is critical for astrobiology. If we find an Earth-sized planet in the habitable zone, we need to know if the system is 100 million years old (too young for life) or 4 billion years old (mature enough for biology). Only asteroseismology can provide this chronological context.

4.3 The Instrument: A Compound Eye

PLATO departs from the single-mirror design of Hubble or Kepler. Instead, it carries a payload of 26 separate cameras mounted on a single optical bench.28

  • Normal Cameras (24): These cameras operate with a 25-second cadence and are arranged in four groups of six. Each group is offset by 9.2 degrees from the center, creating a massive, overlapping field of view of over 2,200 square degrees.28 This allows PLATO to monitor hundreds of thousands of stars simultaneously.

  • Fast Cameras (2): These two cameras operate at a blistering 2.5-second cadence. They are optimized for the very brightest stars (magnitudes 4–8) and also serve as fine-guidance sensors for the spacecraft’s attitude control system.29

  • Refractive Optics: Each camera is a fully dioptric (lens-based) telescope with a 120mm aperture and six lenses. This design provides a very wide, flat field of view that mirrors cannot easily achieve.30

5. The Roman Space Telescope: A Wider View

Though launch dates remain fluid between late 2026 and mid-2027, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is a key pillar of the 2026 planning horizon. Launching on a commercial heavy-lift vehicle (likely Falcon Heavy), Roman is NASA’s next flagship astrophysics mission.31

5.1 The Wide Field Instrument (WFI)

Roman is often described as having "the resolution of Hubble with 100 times the field of view." Its primary instrument, the Wide Field Instrument (WFI), is a 300-megapixel infrared camera.

  • Dark Energy Survey: By surveying millions of galaxies, WFI will map the distribution of matter in the universe over cosmic time. This will help constrain the equation of state of Dark Energy, the mysterious force accelerating the expansion of the universe.33

  • Microlensing: WFI will also conduct a census of exoplanets using gravitational microlensing—observing how the gravity of a foreground star (and its planets) bends the light of a background star. This method is uniquely sensitive to planets far from their host stars (cold Jupiters) and even rogue planets drifting in the void.33

5.2 The Coronagraph Instrument (CGI): Blocking the Starlight

The second instrument on Roman is a technology demonstrator that may redefine how we look for life. The Coronagraph Instrument (CGI) is designed to directly image gas giant planets by physically blocking the light of their host star.

5.2.1 The Problem of Glare

Viewing a planet next to a star is like trying to see a firefly next to a spotlight from miles away. The diffraction of light around the telescope’s edges creates a pattern of bright rings (Airy disks) that swamps the faint planet.

5.2.2 The Solution: Active Wavefront Control

The CGI employs a revolutionary technology called Deformable Mirrors (DMs).

  • Mechanism: Inside the instrument, two small mirrors are backed by thousands of tiny piston-like actuators. These actuators can push or pull the mirror surface by distances smaller than the width of a DNA strand.34

  • Destructive Interference: The computer controls these mirrors to intentionally distort the reflected light wave. This distortion is calculated to be the exact inverse of the scattered starlight "speckles." When the waves combine, they cancel each other out via destructive interference, creating a "dark hole" in the image where the planet can be seen.

  • Goal: The CGI aims to achieve a contrast ratio of 10^-9 (one part in a billion), a thousand times better than current space coronagraphs. Success here paves the way for the future Habitable Worlds Observatory, which will use this tech to image Earth-like planets.32

6. SMILE: The Interaction of Worlds

Scheduled for launch around April 2026, the Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE) is a joint mission between ESA and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).20 This mission highlights the continued scientific cooperation between Europe and China despite broader geopolitical tensions.

6.1 The Science of Space Weather

SMILE investigates the dynamic coupling between the solar wind (the stream of charged particles from the Sun) and Earth's magnetosphere (the magnetic bubble that protects us). When the solar wind slams into the magnetosphere, it can trigger magnetic storms that disrupt satellites and power grids.

6.2 Optical Innovation: The Lobster Eye Telescope

The primary instrument, the Soft X-ray Imager (SXI), features a radical optical design inspired by biology: Lobster Eye Optics.

  • The Challenge: X-rays are hard to focus. They possess so much energy that they pass through standard glass lenses. Traditional X-ray telescopes (like Chandra) use heavy, nested mirrors that reflect X-rays at very shallow "grazing" angles, resulting in a narrow field of view (often less than 1 degree).

  • The Biomimetic Solution: Lobsters do not have refractive lenses. Their eyes are composed of thousands of square tubes packed on a sphere. Light enters a tube and reflects off the flat interior walls to focus on the retina.

  • Micropore Optics: The SXI replicates this using glass plates containing millions of microscopic square channels (micropores). X-rays entering these channels reflect off the walls and focus onto a detector. This allows the SXI to achieve a massive field of view (approx. 16° x 26°), enabling it to image the entire dayside magnetopause of Earth in a single shot—something never before achieved.38

7. FLEX: The Breath of the Planet

Launching in late 2026, likely September, the Fluorescence Explorer (FLEX) is ESA's eighth Earth Explorer mission. It will fly in tandem with the Copernicus Sentinel-3C satellite to provide a comprehensive view of vegetation health.21

7.1 The Physics of Fluorescence (SIF)

Satellites usually monitor vegetation by measuring "greenness" (reflected sunlight). However, a green plant is not necessarily a healthy plant; it may be green but stressed by drought or heat, shutting down photosynthesis to save water.

  • The Signal: When chlorophyll absorbs sunlight, the energy drives photosynthesis. However, about 1-2% of that energy is re-emitted as a faint red glow—Sun-Induced Fluorescence (SIF). This glow is the "heartbeat" of photosynthesis. If the plant is healthy and photosynthesizing efficiently, the fluorescence has a specific signature. If the plant is stressed, the fluorescence changes immediately, long before the leaves turn brown physically.40

7.2 The FLORIS Instrument

Measuring this faint glow against the blinding background of reflected sunlight is difficult. The FLORIS instrument achieves this by observing at extremely high spectral resolution (0.1 nm to 0.3 nm). It looks for fluorescence specifically inside Fraunhofer lines—narrow, dark bands in the solar spectrum where the Sun’s own light is blocked by elements in its atmosphere (specifically the Oxygen-A and Oxygen-B bands). Inside these dark lines, the background sunlight is dim, allowing the faint fluorescence signal from the plants to shine through.41

8. Mars Sample Return: The 2026 Pivot

While 2026 is a year of launches for the Moon and Earth orbit, it is a year of pivotal restructuring for Mars. The joint NASA-ESA Mars Sample Return (MSR) campaign, once the flagship of the 2020s, faces a complete overhaul in 2026 due to cost overruns.

8.1 The Collapse of the Reference Architecture

By January 2026, the original MSR plan—featuring a massive NASA Sample Retrieval Lander and a European "fetch rover"—was officially cancelled or indefinitely paused due to projected costs exceeding $11 billion and timelines slipping into the 2030s.2

8.2 The Commercial Alternatives

In response, NASA initiated a "Rapid Mission Design" competition, soliciting proposals from the commercial space industry to return the samples faster and cheaper. 2026 is the deadline for the selection of a new architecture.

  • Lockheed Martin: Their proposal involves a simplified lander based on the successful InSight design, carrying a smaller, single-stage Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV). This approach emphasizes heritage hardware to reduce risk.44

  • SpaceX: The company proposes using the Starship vehicle. Due to its immense size, Starship could potentially land, pick up the samples (or even the entire Perseverance rover), and return to Earth without needing a complex orbital rendezvous. This is a high-risk, high-reward option dependent on the maturation of Starship.46

  • Blue Origin and Rocket Lab: Both companies have submitted studies, with Rocket Lab focusing on small, highly efficient ascent vehicles and Blue Origin leveraging its New Glenn architecture.47

This pivot makes 2026 a decisive moment in astrobiology. The choice made this year will determine whether humanity receives the first pristine samples from Mars in the early 2030s or faces a delay that could cede leadership in the field to China, whose Tianwen-3 sample return mission is targeting a 2028 launch.44

9. Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) and Infrastructure

Beyond the agency flagships, 2026 sees the continued expansion of the commercial lunar ecosystem.

  • Firefly Blue Ghost Mission 2: Scheduled for late 2026, this CLPS mission targets the lunar far side. Its primary payload is ESA’s Lunar Pathfinder.48

  • Lunar Pathfinder: This mission addresses the "far side problem." Because the Moon is tidally locked, the far side never faces Earth, blocking direct radio communication. Lunar Pathfinder is a relay satellite that will orbit the Moon, capturing data from the lander and beaming it back to Earth. Crucially, it also carries a GNSS receiver to test whether Earth’s GPS and Galileo navigation signals can be used at the Moon. Success here would revolutionize lunar navigation, allowing future rovers to "know where they are" without needing expensive dedicated tracking from Earth ground stations.49

10. Conclusion

The year 2026 stands as a testament to the resilience and ambition of the global space sector. It is the year where the "slide decks" of the past decade become the hardware of the present. Artemis II validates the architecture for human deep space exploration; Ariane 6 secures Europe's launch sovereignty; PLATO and Roman push the boundaries of our knowledge of other worlds; and SMILE and FLEX turn new eyes upon our own system.

Underlying these launches is a shift in philosophy. The integration of commercial entities into the critical path—from the CubeSats on Artemis to the restructuring of Mars Sample Return—demonstrates that the era of purely government-led exploration is evolving into a public-private symbiosis. As the engines ignite in 2026, they propel not just spacecraft, but a new paradigm of scientific and exploratory capability.

Table 1: Major NASA and ESA Launches Scheduled for 2026

Mission

Agency

Launch Vehicle

Target Date (NET)

Destination

Primary Science/Objective

Artemis II

NASA / CSA

SLS Block 1

Feb-Apr 2026

Lunar Flyby

Crewed systems validation; Human return to deep space.

SMILE

ESA / CAS

Vega C / Ariane 62

April 2026

High Earth Orbit

Magnetosphere-Solar Wind interaction; Lobster-eye X-ray optics.

FLEX

ESA

Vega C

Sept 2026

LEO

Vegetation fluorescence (photosynthesis) mapping.

PLATO

ESA

Ariane 62

Dec 2026

Sun-Earth L2

Exoplanet transits; Asteroseismology (stellar ages).

Roman Space Telescope

NASA

Falcon Heavy (TBC)

Late 2026 / 2027

Sun-Earth L2

Dark Energy; Exoplanet census; Coronagraph technology demo.

Blue Ghost M2

Firefly (Commercial)

Firefly Alpha

Late 2026

Lunar Far Side

CLPS Lander; Deployment of ESA Lunar Pathfinder relay.

Amazon Kuiper

Commercial

Ariane 64

Throughout 2026

LEO

Broadband constellation; Inaugural flights of Ariane 64.

Table 2: Artemis II CubeSat Manifest and Objectives

CubeSat Name

Country/Agency

Scientific Objective

TACHELES

Germany (DLR)

Measure radiation effects on electronics/shielding for future lunar vehicles.

K-RadCube

South Korea (KARI)

Characterize radiation dose in the transition from magnetosphere to deep space.

ATENEA

Argentina (CONAE)

Demonstrate reception of GPS/Galileo signals at lunar distance for navigation.

SWC-1

Saudi Arabia (SSA)

Monitor solar X-ray flares and interplanetary magnetic fields (Space Weather).

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