2 min readWilliam BryanCommunication StrategistMay 21, 2026 Article
Organizations interested in launching CubeSats on future Artemis missions should respond to NASA’s request for information (RFI) by Monday, June 1, for initial consideration.
“The SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and the Artemis missions provide great opportunities for teams to conduct important, science and technology investigations that contribute to the expansion of human space exploration,” said Courtney Ryals, acting manager, SLS payload integration, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
The RFI will inform potential future opportunities for CubeSats to fly on Artemis III, IV and V. While NASA is reviewing specific mission profiles, the agency expects to accommodate 6U and 12U-sized CubeSats that would deploy in Earth orbit or on a heliocentric disposal trajectory following the separation of the Orion spacecraft from the rocket, as the nanosatellites would deploy from a ring on the upper stage of the rocket. Opportunities may also exist for CubeSats deployed on a reentry trajectory from Earth orbit.
CubeSat sizes are measured in “one unit” or “1U” increments, each measuring 10x10x10 centimeters.
