M-Argo
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European Space Agency| Mission type | Asteroid exploration & technology demonstration |
|---|---|
| Operator | European Space Agency |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer |  LSA, TICRA, GomSpace, KP Labs |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | NET 2027 |
M-Argo (Miniaturised Asteroid Remote Geophysical Observer) is a planned asteroid rendezvous mission by the European Space Agency (ESA) in the form of a 12U CubeSat. M-Argo will spend six months around its destination asteroid collecting data on a repeating two-week pattern, searching the asteroid for in-situ resources.[1][2][3][4][5][6] The spacecraft will use ground-based navigation similar to that of Rosetta to determine its trajectory.[2]
A Cubesat, M-Argo was largely made with cheap, standard parts that hundreds of other CubeSats use.[7] The probe was designed by a consortium led by the Luxembourg Space Agency, alongside TICRA, GomSpace, and KP Labs.[3][8]
M-Argo is 36.5 cm wide and 22 cm tall. It has its own propulsion system with twelve tiny gas jets to orientate and adjust its trajectory.[2] Due to the crafts small size several different designs were iterated before the development team decided upon electric propulsion.[2] M-Argo is also outfitted with a multispectral imager and laser altimeter as its primary payloads to map the asteroid.[2] The multispectral imager was provided by the Polish firm KP Labs which also contributed AI algorithms it used on prior missions to process and compress data to save storage space.[9] The probe will communicate with Earth using a specially designed X-band transponder and high-gain, flat-panel antenna.[2][4] M-Argo will also use an experimental Deep-Space Optical Navigation system during its transit to its destination.[10] Additional payloads include optical GNC and radio science and the solar array orientation mechanism (μSADA).[11]
Technology demonstration
Should the mission succeed, the ESA plans to approve a fleet of low-cost small spacecraft, perhaps 10 to 20 CubeSats at a time, to scout different asteroids on a surveying mission.[2] Roger Walker, overseeing ESA's technology CubeSats, stated that M-Argo will "enable the cost of asteroid exploration to be reduced by an order of magnitude or more".[4]
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