On May 21, 2026, NASA released a Request For Information (RFI) seeking interest from research institutions, universities, and companies looking to launch CubeSats during upcoming Artemis missions.
Applications are due by June 1, 2026, and will help NASA evaluate potential secondary payloads for inclusion in Artemis III, IV, and V missions.
Future Artemis missions will utilize the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion capsule to transport astronauts into space. In addition to the primary payload, the rocket can also carry small satellites. CubeSats are modular nanosatellites built using standard 10-centimeter-sided units, known as 1U. NASA plans to accommodate CubeSats in 6U and 12U formats, meaning they will be composed of multiple assembled modules.
The CubeSats would be deployed after the Orion capsule separates from the SLS rocket’s second stage. The satellites will launch from a ring installed on the SLS upper stage, the same system used in previous Artemis missions.
Depending on the mission profile, CubeSats could be placed into Earth orbit or follow heliocentric trajectories, thus entering orbit around the Sun after leaving the Earth-Moon system. NASA will also evaluate missions with Earth re-entry profiles.
CubeSats from Previous Artemis Missions
NASA has previously utilized these types of satellites during Artemis I, an uncrewed mission launched in 2022. On that occasion, 10 CubeSats with diverse scientific and technological objectives were carried.
Among them was ArgoMoon, a CubeSat developed by the Italian company Argotec on behalf of the European Space Agency (ESA). Its mission was to document the deployment of other CubeSats and capture images of the SLS second stage after its separation from Orion. ArgoMoon was one of the Artemis I CubeSats that successfully completed its mission.
Other satellites had specific scientific objectives. LunaH-Map, for example, was designed to search for water ice deposits near the lunar south pole. The Artemis I CubeSats were also used to test deep space navigation systems, miniaturized propulsion, and new technologies for missions far from Earth. While not all achieved their intended goals, the mission still represented a significant testing opportunity for these types of platforms.
Artemis II, the program’s first mission with astronauts on board, also carried four CubeSats. As with Artemis I, they were deployed after Orion separated from the rocket’s second stage. Not all of them reached their objectives.
