The Atenea microsatellite, developed with the involvement of researchers, teachers, and students from the University of Buenos Aires (UBA), will be part of the scientific cargo on NASA’s Artemis II mission scheduled for this month.
The Faculty of Engineering at UBA (FIUBA) is set to take part in Artemis II, which will carry four astronauts on a ten-day journey around the Moon. This marks a significant milestone for Argentina’s space sector.
Atenea is a CubeSat class 12U satellite measuring approximately 30 by 20 by 20 centimeters. It will not land directly on the lunar surface but will be deployed before orbital flyby as part of a technology demonstration mission. The project aims to test technologies that could be used in more complex future space missions using a low-cost and efficient platform.
The initiative is led by Argentina’s National Commission on Space Activities (Conae) with collaboration from various scientific and academic institutions. FIUBA’s participation comes through its Departments of Electronics and Physics, involving laboratories and researchers who have been developing capabilities in space activities for years.
Alejandro Martínez, dean of FIUBA, said: “Over time at the Faculty we have developed different projects related to space activity, many in the Department of Electronics but also with collaboration from Physics and Mechanics. Today this finds its highest expression in Project ASTAR, a microsatellite we are developing at FIUBA.”
Atenea’s functions include measuring radiation doses at different orbits—both low and deep—which will help evaluate shielding materials and commercial components. It will also test silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs), optoelectronic devices used in communications, sensors, and displays. Another task involves collecting GPS data from altitudes above existing satellite constellations—a key resource for maneuvers into geostationary transfer orbits—and validating long-range communication links intended for future deep-space exploration.
These activities are designed to raise the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of several locally developed subsystems so they can potentially be used in larger-scale missions.
NASA selected Atenea after Argentina formally joined the Artemis Program in 2023 during an official visit by NASA Administrator Bill Nelson to FIUBA when Argentina became the program’s twenty-eighth member country. Martínez recalled that “the participation was formalized during Bill Nelson’s visit to FIUBA where entry was signed.” He added: “All this fills us with pride and drives us forward. Being part of a project led by Conae and participating in such an important NASA initiative is an enormous satisfaction for both our Faculty and all UBA.”
The agreement formalizing Atenea’s inclusion coincided with Conae’s thirty-fourth anniversary celebrations—an event that also opened opportunities for other countries’ agencies involved in Artemis to propose CubeSat projects for future lunar missions.
Martínez acknowledged contributions from Julio Zola (Director of Electronics), Fernando Filipetti (project leader), student Franco Spadachini, Dr. Marcelo R. Pagnola’s team as well as Franco Berni, Francisco Del Río, Guido Rodríguez, and Dr. Ignacio Álvarez Hamelin.
As part of ongoing efforts to train professionals for this sector, Martínez highlighted new specialization programs created jointly with Conae and Invap focused on aerospace industry systems—programs he described as having “impressive success.”
This marks the first time since Apollo ended in 1972 that an Argentine satellite participates alongside international partners—including Germany’s DLR agency; South Korea’s KASA; Saudi Arabia’s SSA—in a crewed lunar mission underlining global cooperation within NASA’s program.
