October 15, 2024
Moonlight
Enabling connectivity and navigation services on the lunar surface and to Earth.
The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Moonlight programme aims to lead Europe in enabling seamless connectivity between the Earth and Moon, as well as communications and navigation services to missions on the lunar surface.
The Moonlight programme works with European industry and academia to create a shared service in telecommunications and navigation, from the establishment of an interoperable infrastructure based on widely recognised, worldwide standards and in collaboration with international partners.
Going back to the Moon – To Stay
Going to the Moon was the first step. Staying there is the next ambition. With as many as 400 missions scheduled to launch for the Moon in the next decade – many launched by, or in partnership with ESA – Moonlight aims to be Europe’s first off-planet telecommunications and navigation service provider.
The Moonlight programme is key to ensuring sovereign European access to areas of scientific interest on and around the Moon as well as to provide infrastructure for research and exploration missions both for other ESA missions and commercial services for non-ESA affiliated missions.
Moonlight will be able to provide interoperable communication and guidance services to reduce the complexity and mass of future missions to the Moon, contributing to ESA’s aim to be sustainable in its space exploration ventures, providing streamlined operational and cost efficiency for lunar missions.
In the future, the Moon might become a home to data storage facilities, space weather monitoring outposts and deep space radio telescopes on the far side of the Moon, one of the most significantly radio quiet spaces in the Solar System.
Without Moonlight, projects such as ESA’s Argonaut – Europe’s lunar lander programme – would not be possible. It is one of the critical pillars of lunar infrastructure needed for the future of manned exploration of our only natural satellite, but its utility spans far beyond upcoming robotics missions.
The lunar market will continue to evolve as missions increase in quantity and scope, and Moonlight lowers the financial barrier for these missions. By offering a highly interoperable and scalable service, Moonlight allows even smaller missions to be more ambitious and access challenging areas of the Moon such as the south pole, far side, and craters in permanent shadow. To ensure Europe must not lose first-mover advantage, Moonlight offers the best possible services to users through reliable and continuous service, whilst maintaining a sustainable use of resources and spectrum.
Moonlight: An International Partnership
Moonlight is a joint initiative between ESA’s Directorate of Connectivity and Secure Communications, the Directorate of Navigation and the Directorate of Human and Robotic Exploration.
Working across Directorates enables ESA to develop the programme into a powerful asset for international cooperation among our trusted partners, such as the United States and Japan.
We are working closely with NASA and the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) on LunaNET, a framework for lunar communication and navigation services, ensuring compatibility for our global customer base for their own missions or complementary advanced technologies and products.
This framework will accelerate the development of multi-national and system-interoperability, allowing the programme to not only benefit Europe, but enhance international partnerships.
How to work with us
To further strengthen Europe’s position in lunar exploration, Moonlight collaborates with industry and academia to develop services and solutions geared towards humanity’s intention to live on the Moon.
Through the programme, partners – whether multinational or Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, new or experienced – are supported through the research and development phase, with funding opportunities available depending on the stage of a project’s development, commercial or technological risk.
Read more on our How to Work with Us page for details on the level of funding support available to your project. Partnership opportunities are available to participating ESA Member States and Cooperating States.
Moonlight Workplans
The workplans for the Moonlight programme is available now. Interested parties should be registered with esa-star to view it and follow the guidelines to become a registered entity.
Beyond the scope of the Moonlight partnership project of the development and deployment of the initial lunar communications infrastructure, the programme will be preparing medium- and long-term technologies, supporting industry looking to develop products for the lunar market. The workplan will be made available following approval of ESA Member State delegates.
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CONTACT
Charles Cranstoun (Moonlight)
ESA’s European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications (ECSAT)
Fermi Avenue, Harwell, Didcot, OX11 0FD
United Kingdom
+44 (0)7584 342096
Charles.Cranstoun@esa.int
