ArgoMoon and ANDROMEDA are two programs of the Italian aerospace company Argotec Srl.
ArgoMoon is a microsatellite for Deep Space exploration that has been selected by NASA as the only European payload that will fly on-board the new American, the Space Launch System (SLS), during its first mission, Artemis 1. ArgoMoon will be among the first microsatellites to be released by ICPS, the SLS second stage. The main objective of the satellite is to take photographs of ICPS and pictures that confirm the other CubeSats have been released successfully. Moreover, several technological solutions will be validated in Deep Space environment, such as algorithms for autonomous tracking of specific targets. ArgoMoon is designed and built by Argotec under the coordination of the Italian Space Agency.
ANDROMEDA is a microsatellite constellation that will provide continuous real-time data access for third-party users in the lunar environment. The high-speed communication solution will be compatible with current and future missions and will be able to offer a multi-user service with global coverage of the Moon and 24/7 coverage of high-interest areas, such as the south pole.
This constellation will greatly simplify the communication with the lunar users, proving seamless end-to-end connectivity with different users, such as small satellites, surface assets, and astronauts/space explorers. ANDROMEDA will make easier the exploration and the exploitation of the Moon.
Bio
Francesca Ingiosi became a British Interplanetary Society member in 2015 while studying aerospace engineering at Sapienza University of Rome, contributing to the organization of high-level educational events for the association. In 2018 she began an internship in Argotec Srl in Turin for her master thesis, designing a payload for the International Space Station. Starting from the very bottom, she moved up in the company, and in 2020 became Project Manager for two of Argotec’s flagship programs: ArgoMoon, a microsatellite that will fly with Artemis-1, and ANDROMEDA, a lunar constellation that will provide communication services around the Moon.
