| 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 |
← LUMIO | |
M-Argo (MiniaturisedAsteroidRemoteGeophysicalObserver) is a planned asteroid rendezvous mission by theEuropean Space Agency (ESA) in the form of a 12UCubeSat.M-Argo will spend six months around its destination asteroid collecting data on a repeating two-week pattern, searching theasteroid forin-situ resources.[1][2][3][4][5][6] The spacecraft will use ground-based navigation similar to that ofRosetta 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 theLuxembourg Space Agency, alongside TICRA,GomSpace, andKP 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 uponelectric 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 thePolish firmKP 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]
Should the mission succeed, the ESA plans to approve a fleet of low-cost small spacecraft, perhaps 10 to 20CubeSats at a time, to scout different asteroids on a surveying mission.[2] Roger Walker, overseeing ESA's technology CubeSats, stated thatM-Argo will "enable the cost of asteroid exploration to be reduced by an order of magnitude or more".[4]
By June 2021,M-Argo team screened over 700,000 possible destinations, finding 150 suitable targets before settling on a shortlist of five to be narrowed down to one shortly before launch due to changing orbital dynamics.[12][2] The five selected asteroids differ in size, spin rate, and distance from the Earth.[2] All five targets are small near-earth asteroids less than 100 m in diameter.[2] No asteroids of this type have been visited yet by probes.[2]
Despite being largely constructed and ready for launch since 2021,M-Argo has continuously run into problems securing a launch vehicle.[4] Initially,M-Argo was supposed to launch on aVega-C in 2023, however, following the failure ofVega C flight VV22 the entire project, and its scheduled launches including theM-Argo were scrapped and redesigned.[13] Afterwards,M-Argo was slated to be launched on-board anAriane 6 in 2025, the back end of their launch window governed by the asteroid selection process.[14] However, difficulties with theAriane 6 flight VA262 delayed the launch. As of 2025,M-Argo was scheduled for launch in 2027, requiring the reevaluation of candidate target astroids.[15]
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