Moonsuch

Moonsuch is a small icy natural satellite of the outer gas giant Argo in the Helion star system. It was first imaged clearly by the Aegis Orbiter in 2146 and designated a moon of Argo; the name Moonsuch was adopted by the International Names Committee in 2149 to reflect its conspicuously bright limb in reflected sunlight.

Moonsuch orbits Argo at a distance of about 102,000 kilometers, following an equatorial, low-inclination path with an orbital period of roughly 1.95 days. The moon measures about 40 kilometers in diameter, with a mean density around 1.4 g/cm3, indicating an icy, porous interior. Its surface gravity is a small fraction of Earth's, sufficient to retain a dusty regolith but not to support active geologic processes.

The surface is heavily cratered, displaying plains, ridges, and a network of fractures. Spectroscopic surveys identify water ice and complex organics mixed with dark regolith; rare exposed terrains hint at recent resurfacing events, possibly driven by tidal heating. There is no confirmed sign of liquid water on the surface; subsurface ocean is considered unlikely but not completely ruled out by models.

Exploration prospects: Moonsuch has been proposed as a target for future orbiter and lander missions to study ice geology, potential volatiles, and the evolution of small outer-system satellites. No missions have been launched to Moonsuch as of the present.