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Argotec has received the prestigious American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Small Satellite Mission of the Year award for its LICIACube mission. This award is given annually at the AIAA and Utah State University Small Satellite Conference and acknowledges missions that demonstrate significant advancements in smallsats.

The LICIACube mission, which was funded by the Italian Space Agency, was a part of NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission. In September 2022, this mission aimed to target, impact, and move an asteroid in space. LICIACube, the only secondary mission on the NASA DART, had the objective of documenting the impact between the DART probe and the asteroid Dimorphos. Notably, LICIACube was the first deep space smallsat to undertake such a mission.

During the mission, Argotec’s Mission Control Center successfully recorded LICIACube performing an asteroid fly-by at a speed of 4.35 miles per second, or more than 15,650 mph, with fully autonomous navigation. The smallsat captured 627 photos that displayed debris streaming from Dimorphos.

In addition to this achievement, Argotec recently announced a significant multimillion-dollar investment to establish its operations and construct a facility in Largo, Maryland. The recognition from the AIAA further underscores Argotec’s dedication and the positive outcomes it has accomplished in the U.S. market.

Moreover, Argotec is currently in the process of building its new SpacePark in Turin, Italy, which is expected to be completed by early 2025. The facility will encompass nearly 120,000 square feet of covered space for a highly automated production plant and over 180,000 square feet of green space, showcasing Argotec’s commitment to sustainability.

David Avino, CEO and founder of Argotec, expressed his satisfaction with the recognition, stating, “With LICIACube, we once again demonstrated the incredible performance and reliability of our platform. This award acknowledges the hard work and technical expertise of the Argotec team. We are thrilled to continue working on projects and missions in low Earth orbit and deep space, especially as we expand our presence in the United States.”

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