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The European Space Agency signed on Tuesday (October 27) an agreement with the US counterpart of NASA confirming Europe’s involvement in the construction of a space station orbiting the Moon and paves the way for the “ Euronauts ” to put foot for the first time on the lunar surface.
Under the terms of the agreement, ESA will build essential communications and power components for NASA’s Orion spacecraft, designed to take astronauts to the moon and even Mars, and a planned lunar space station known as the “Gateway. “.
In return, the “Euronauts” will get at least three rides to the Gateway and potentially even to the lunar surface. Europe does not have its own manned launch capabilities and must rely on the United States and Russia to reach orbit.
“This Memorandum of Understanding marks a critical point in Europe’s trajectory: it confirms that we are going to the Moon, not only in terms of equipment and technology, but also with our people,” said the agency’s director general. Jan Wörner.
The Gateway is expected to be in orbit in 2024, the same year NASA plans to return to the moon as part of the Artemis space program. That lunar mission hopes to include a first female astronaut crew member.
“Europe will provide crew accommodation, telecommunications, fueling and an incredible view of the moon thanks to ESA’s contributions to the lunar portal,” said ESA Director David Parker.
He added that “European astronauts will fly to the Gateway to live and work in deep space”. International collaboration between ESA, NASA and other agencies should lead a European astronaut to set foot on the moon for the first time.
Earlier this month, ESA awarded hundreds of millions of euros in contracts for lunar and Martian exploration, including several modules for the Gateway station and an orbiter capable of recovering rock samples from Mars.
Airbus, a major aerospace company contributing to ESA’s plans, announced Tuesday that one of its research teams has developed a process to convert lunar dust into oxygen. It is a development that “could revolutionize human space exploration, ”the company said.
“This breakthrough is a huge leap forward, taking us one step closer to the Holy Grail of being able to sustain a long-term life on the Moon,” said Jean-Marc Nasr, chief of space systems at Airbus.
The emission-free ROXY process – which has applications on Earth – could be used to produce oxygen for human dwellings on the lunar surface and, when combined with lunar ice, rocket fuel.
Although ESA is contributing to a wide range of space missions, its lack of manned launch capabilities is seen as a significant limiting factor for Europe’s ambitions in the cosmos.
A new rocket launcher, Ariane 6, is expected to debut in 2021 and boost Europe’s position in areas such as satellite deployment, but it’s not designed to carry a spacecraft. Discussions are ongoing on the development of this capability, but nothing official has been announced.
[Edited by Zoran Radosavljevic]
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