ESA picks two tiny spacecraft to study the dark side of the Moon

Both devices are 12-unit cubesats that would be roughly as large as an “airline cabin bag.” The differences mainly come down to sensors — Lumio would use an optical camera, while VMMO would rely on a miniature laser. The winners will work with the ESA on mission plans in February and March. Just when they’ll launch and how long they’ll stay active will hinge on those plans, but VMMO is expected