# An Overview of CubeSat Missions and Applications
## 7 CubeSats as Deep-Space Exploration Platforms
### The Role of CubeSats in Lunar Exploration Missions
However, due to loss of attitude control, no stable communication between OMOTENASHI and mission control could be established, leading to the abandonment of landing plans and the eventual loss of the mission [260; 261; 262]. Another lunar exploration CubeSat carried onboard Artemis I was the Lunar Polar Hydrogen Mapper (LunaH-Map) which was manufactured and operated by Arizona State University. This CubeSat would monitor and map ice deposits in the surface of the Moon's south pole using its primary scientific payload which was the Miniature Neutron Spectrometer (Mini-NS). However, problems encountered in its propulsion system prevented LunaH-Map from entering the planned lunar orbit and performing its main mission. Nevertheless, the CubeSat managed to collect nearly three hours of data from the Moon's surface from a distance of about 1300 km during its flyby, thus successfully demonstrating the operation of its neutron spectrometer, which managed to identify the possible existence of ice below the lunar soil, in depths reaching as deep as 1 m by detecting neutrons that indicate the presence of hydrogen. For this reason, the LunaH-Map mission is considered a partial success [263; 264]. Also present onboard Artemis I was the CubeSat ArgoMoon which was developed by Argotec (San Mauro Torinese, Turin, Italy) for the Italian Space Agency. ArgoMoon was equipped with two optical cameras (a narrow-angle one with a FOV of 2.05\({}^{\circ}\) and a wide-angle one with a FOV of 32.5\({}^{\circ}\)), as well as a laser rangefinder. The satellite was also equipped with a cold-gas reaction control system. During the first phase of the mission after its deployment, ArgoMoon would perform autonomous proximity flight operations close to the SLS's ICPS and would also observe the deployment of the other CubeSats carried by the mission. Furthermore, during its mission, ArgoMoon would capture photographs of the ICPS, the Moon, and the Earth, while also demonstrating optical communications with the Earth. However, unexpected propulsion-related anomalies meant that the maneuvers executed did not reach their intended \(\Delta v\) and prevented the ArgoMoon from completing all of its set milestones. Despite these setbacks, the CubeSat managed to capture several photographs of the Earth and the Moon and transmit them back to the Earth during its lunar and Earth fly-bys [265; 266]. The high degree of mission anomalies or even complete mission loss incidents observed among the CubeSats launched as secondary payloads of NASA's Artemis 1 mission certainly raises some questions about the underlying reasons that have led to them [267]. A common mission failure cause observed among most of the Artemis 1 CubeSats that failed regardless of their intended mission goals was the inability to establish a stable communication link with the ground control after separation from the ICPS of NASA's SLS rocket. Even though the exact underlying issues that caused these failures have not been officially reported for all the missions, the root cause of failure in many of these missions could be an electrical power related problem. For example, prior to the launch of Artemis 1, the SLS rocket was plagued by engine problems and hydrogen leaks which, in conjunction with hurricane Ian, forced NASA to stand down from multiple launch attempts and even roll the SLS back to the Vehicle Assembly Building before its eventual successful launch on 16 November 2022. Thus, there was a delay of approximately two and a half months from the original launch date which was set to happen on 29 August 2022 [268]. During this entire time, the CubeSats remained integrated inside the ICPS adapter of the vehicle and, therefore, prolonged storage may have led to degradation of the batteries of the satellites and by extension, a power-critical situation after deployment. Moreover, prolonged storage inside the launch vehicle could also be the culprit for propulsion related anomalies of jammed valves and propulsion leaks such as the ones encountered by the LunaH-Map and OMOTENASHI CubeSats.