The European Space Agency (ESA) has announced that it has selected and signed contracts with two consortia to develop its ‘Moonlight’ project. Moonlight is intended to create a telecommunications and navigation system for the Moon, using a constellation of lunar orbiting satellites and Earth-based ground stations. The two consortia will examine different elements of the proposed network, and so are not in competition. ESA (which is not an agency of the European Union) is a major partner of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) in the Artemis programme, to return astronauts (including the first woman) to the Moon. ESA will provide the service modules for Nasa’s Orion space capsule as well as the ‘Esprit’ communications module for the Lunar Gateway (a kind of manoeuvring space station that will permanently orbit the Moon but change its orbit and orbital altitude as operationally required).
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