# LICIACube

> decommissioned Italian CubeSat in NASA's DART mission

**Wikidata**: [Q109650148](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q109650148)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LICIACube)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/liciacube

## Summary
LICIACube (Light Italian CubeSat for Imaging of Asteroids) was a 6U CubeSat space probe operated by the Italian company Argotec. It served as a companion to NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission, launching in November 2021 to observe the asteroid Dimorphos. The spacecraft was officially decommissioned on December 23, 2022, after completing its flyby mission.

## Key Facts
- **Full Name:** Light Italian CubeSat for Imaging of Asteroids.
- **Classification:** 6U CubeSat and space probe.
- **Mass:** 14 kilograms.
- **Operator & Manufacturer:** Argotec.
- **Funder:** Italian Space Agency (ASI).
- **Launch Date:** November 24, 2021, at 06:21:02 UTC.
- **Launch Vehicle:** SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5.
- **Mission Target:** Flyby of the asteroid Dimorphos.
- **Decommissioned:** December 23, 2022.
- **Identifiers:** COSPAR ID 2021-110C; NAIF ID -210.

## FAQs
### Q: What was LICIACube's role in the DART mission?
A: As part of NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test, LICIACube was deployed to perform a flyby of the asteroid Dimorphos. Its mission was to image the asteroid and the effects of the DART impact.

### Q: Who built and managed LICIACube?
A: The spacecraft was designed, manufactured, and operated by the Italian company Argotec. The mission was funded by the Italian Space Agency (ASI).

### Q: When did LICIACube end its mission?
A: The spacecraft was decommissioned on December 23, 2022, following its successful flyby of Dimorphos in October of that year.

## Why It Matters
LICIACube represents a significant milestone in deep space exploration as one of the few CubeSats to operate beyond Earth's orbit. As part of NASA's DART mission—the first planetary defense test—LICIACube provided essential independent verification of the asteroid impact. While the main DART spacecraft was destroyed upon impact with Dimorphos, LICIACube acted as a vital witness, capturing data during its flyby to document the collision. This mission demonstrated the capability of small, cost-effective satellite platforms (CubeSats) to perform complex scientific tasks in deep space environments. Its success validates the use of smaller "rideshare" spacecraft to support and enhance larger primary missions.

## Notable For
- Being the first Italian deep-space mission based on the CubeSat standard (6U).
- Accompanying the DART mission to witness the kinetic impact on an asteroid.
- Operating in a heliocentric orbit rather than orbiting the Earth.
- Successfully completing a deep-space flyby of Dimorphos in October 2022.
- Being decommissioned shortly after its primary mission objectives were met.

## Body
### Development and Specifications
LICIACube was a miniaturized satellite composed of 10cm-sided cubic modules, totaling a volume of 6 CubeSat units (6U). Designed and built by Argotec, an Italian aerospace company, the spacecraft had a total mass of 14 kilograms. It was powered by two spacecraft solar arrays. The project was funded by the Italian Space Agency (ASI).

### Launch and Deployment
The spacecraft launched on November 24, 2021, at 06:21:02 UTC. It was a payload aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 (booster serial B1063.3), lifting off from Vandenberg Space Launch Complex 4 East. The launch was contracted by SpaceX for NASA's DART mission.

### Mission Operations
LICIACube was integrated into the DART spacecraft and released prior to the impact event. It followed a heliocentric orbit (orbiting the Sun) rather than the Earth. Its primary mission event was a flyby of the asteroid Dimorphos, which occurred in October 2022. Following the successful observation of the asteroid and the impact event, the mission concluded, and the spacecraft was formally decommissioned on December 23, 2022.

## References

1. LICIACube, the Italian Witness of DART Impact on Didymos
2. [Source](https://www.asi.it/esplorazione/sistema-solare/liciacube/)
3. [Source](https://www.nasa.gov/feature/dart-gets-its-cubesat-companion-its-last-major-piece)
4. [Source](https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2021/11/falcon-9-dart-launch/)
5. [Source](https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/liciacube.htm)
6. [Source](https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/displayTrajectory.action?id=DART)
7. [Source](https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=DART)
8. [Source](https://sciences.sorbonne-universite.fr/evenements/navigation-liciacube-deep-space-cubesat-challenges-and-lessons-learned)
9. [Source](https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-awards-launch-services-contract-for-asteroid-redirect-test-mission)