Nasa is set to launch its first set of two CubeSats, which will be operating in deepspace.

MarCO-A and MarCO-B satellites have been built by the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, US. The spacecraft are collectively called Mars Cube One (MarCO).

MarCO is scheduled to be launched on a rocket with Nasa’s InSight robotic lander for Mars early next month.

They are designed to follow InSight on its journey through space. If they survive the journey, they will relay data about InSight as it enters the Martian atmosphere and lands.

“The satellites are designed to demonstrate the first test of CubeSat technology beyond Earth’s orbit.”