ESA inviting space companies to connect and guide lunar missions

As part of its Moonlight initiative, the European Space Agency (ESA) is inviting space companies in Europe and Canada to provide telecommunications and navigation services for missions to the Moon.

According to market analysists Northern Sky Research, some 250 missions to the Moon will launch over the next decade, with many of them envisaging a permanent lunar presence. The European Space Agency will either lead or be an international partner in many of these missions, including those that envisage a permanent lunar presence.

ESA's Moonlight Programme is proposing the development of new Communications (Coms) and Navigation (Nav) services around the Moon via a dedicated infrastructure that is to be deployed. The programme aims to enable the provision of long-term self-sustained cislunar Com and Nav services.

Moonlight is to be approved at the ESA Ministerial Council 2022 meeting, scheduled to take place in Paris, France, on 22 and 23 November 2022.

"Once Moonlight is in place, companies could create new services in industries such as education, media and entertainment – as well as inspiring young people to study science, technology, engineering and maths, which creates a highly qualified future workforce," the agency wrote in a blog post on Monday.

Are you ready to join ESA’s initiative to support European and Canadian space companies to create a small constellation of lunar satellites that connect and guide missions to the Moon? #Moonlight 👉 https://t.co/ts9L8Lyspr pic.twitter.com/uwoMVbTuL5

— ESA Telecommunications (@EsaTelecoms) October 3, 2022

ESA said that it is completing two studies with two consortia of space companies based in Europe that assess the business case and the technical solutions for building and operating a constellation of lunar satellites. The agency is calling on space firms to indicate whether they would like to join this ambitious project or simply develop lunar telecommunication and navigation technologies and products. The deadline for the same is 28 October.