NASA confirmed this Friday that the four small satellites, including one from Argentina, traveling on the Artemis II manned mission were successfully deployed before the capsule headed to the Moon. The Orion spacecraft's crew, which is heading to the far side of the Moon, was carrying four small satellites known as 'CubeSats' from Argentina, South Korea, Germany, and Saudi Arabia to be placed into Earth's orbit. Lakiesha Hawkins, Associate Administrator of NASA's Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate (ESDMD), explained at a press conference that the four microsatellites were deployed 'successfully' and according to the schedule set by the space agency. NASA was able to establish positive communication with the space transmitters of Argentina and Saudi Arabia. Named 'Athena', the microsatellite was developed by Argentina's National Commission for Space Activities (CONAE) in conjunction with institutions in the country's scientific and technological system. The 30 by 20-centimeter device aims to obtain data and communicate from 70,000 kilometers away from Earth with CONAE's ground stations in the Argentine provinces of Tierra del Fuego (south) and Córdoba (center). Yesterday, Thursday, the Orion spacecraft left Earth's orbit and began its journey to the Moon, becoming the first manned mission to reach the satellite's orbit in over half a century. This Friday, the capsule was 100,000 miles (160,000 kilometers) from Earth, a milestone that makes the four Artemis II astronauts the first humans to leave our planet's orbit since the Apollo 17 crew traveled to the Moon in 1972.
