Europe Picks Companies To Help Build Argonaut Moon Lander
Europe Picks Companies To Help Build Argonaut Moon Lander
Europe’s plans to develop a robotic lunar lander are moving ahead with the announcement of an Italy-led consortium that will build a key element of the spacecraft designed to secure European access to the moon.
The consortium will develop the Argonaut Lunar Descent Element (LDE), one of three main components that will make up Argonaut. The first mission for Argonaut is scheduled for launch in 2030 atop a EuropeanAriane 64rocket, with theEuropean Space Agency(ESA) stating that the lander will play a key role in international lunar exploration through supporting theNASA-ledArtemis program.
Argonaut will consist of the LDE, a Cargo Platform Element (CPE), and the lander payload. The assembled Argonaut will have a height of 19.7 feet (6 meters), a diameter of 14.8 feet (4.5 m) and a launch mass of nearly 22,046 pounds (10,000 kg), according to ESA. It can carry roughly 3,300 pounds (1,500 kg) to the lunar surface and is designed to land with an accuracy of at least 820 feet (250 m) for the first flight.
Earlier statementsindicate a greater payload capacity of up to 4,600 pounds (2,100 kg) and a precise landing accuracy of better than 330 feet (100 m) for the operational lander. Argonaut is designed to carry cargo, such as food and water for future astronauts, to anywhere on the lunar surface.
Giampiero Di Paolo, deputy CEO and senior vice president of observation, exploration and navigation at Thales Alenia Space, hailed the creation of the consortium as a milestone. “Under the leadership of the European Space Agency and alongside the consortium partners, Thales Alenia Space is playing a pioneering role to enable European autonomous access to the moon,” Di Paolo said in an ESAstatement.
“A European presence on the moon is a vision we at OHB have been working toward for many years. We are thrilled to play a pivotal role in this mission by contributing essential subsystems to the Argonaut LDE, helping to further advance Europe’s space exploration capabilities,” said Chiara Pedersoli, CEO of OHB System AG.
Argonaut’s first mission is scheduled for 2030, with a first operational lunar flight slated for 2031. As well as supplies for astronauts, Argonaut is designed to be able to adapt to carry a diverse range of payloads, including rovers, technology demonstration packages, lunar resource utilization facilities or even lunar telescopes or power stations.
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Author:[email protected] (Andrew Jones)
Published on:2025-12-03 20:00:00
Source: www.space.com
Disclaimer: This news article has been republished exactly as it appeared on its original source, without any modification.
We do not take any responsibility for its content, which remains solely the responsibility of the original publisher.
Author: uaetodaynews
Published on: 2025-12-03 16:57:00
Source: uaetodaynews.com
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