Argonaut, a programme developed by the European Space Agency (ESA), represents Europe's autonomous, versatile and reliable access to the Moon. For the first time, the industrial team behind the project was presented to the media.
The European Space Agency presented the Thales Alenia Space Italy-led consortium for its lunar lander programme, Argonaut, at a press conference held at the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, Germany. Thales Alenia Space in Italy, the prime contractor, has signed agreements with Thales Alenia Space in France, OHB AG, Thales Alenia Space in the UK and Nammo Space (UK).
The consortium is responsible for the design, development and production of the Argonaut Lunar Descent Element, the transport element of Argonaut, which will offer Europe autonomous access to the lunar surface. Thanks to this state-of-the-art technology, ESA will be able to implement European-led missions that will support the study of the Moon, allow the de-risking of key technologies, and pave the way for human exploration.
Argonaut will also play a key role in international lunar exploration, supporting NASA's Artemis programme. The European lander can transport a variety of cargo, including vital resources for astronauts such as food, water and air, as well as rovers, science instruments, and infrastructures for communication and power generation.
"Today, we presented the European family which will lead the development of our Argonaut Lunar Descent Element, a key capability for Europe's future missions to the Moon surface. This state-of-the-art equipment will allow us to send a mass of roughly 1500 kilograms to the lunar surface with the support of the European launcher, Ariane 6. A European autonomous access to the Moon for our Member States," said Daniel Neuenschwander, Director of Human and Robotic Exploration at ESA.
"The creation of this consortium led by Thales Alenia Space represents a significant milestone in this challenging Argonaut mission," said Giampiero Di Paolo, Deputy CEO and Senior Vice President, Observation, Exploration and Navigation at Thales Alenia Space. "Under the leadership of the European Space Agency and alongside the consortium partners, Thales Alenia Space is playing a pioneering role to enable the European autonomous access to the Moon."
"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.
"We are extremely proud to team up with ESA and the consortium partners in providing the Data Handling Sub-System that will play a key role in the landing phase of Argonaut's Lunar Descent Element," said Yvan Baillion, Director of European Business at Thales Alenia Space. "Lunar exploration if of great importance to our company and our teams in France are glad to bring also their expertise to the Gateway cis-lunar space station by developing the Lunar View and Lunar Link modules and being a major contributor of the Habitat module."
"We are immensely proud to contribute the Propulsion subsystem development for the Argonaut Lunar Descent Element, working closely with our consortium partners for ESA," said Richard Thorburn, CEO of Thales Alenia Space in the UK. "This role builds on our proven technical expertise in the UK supporting ESA missions, including the development of the lunar refueling system for Lunar View."
"This is a landmark moment for Nammo Space and a testament to the trust ESA & Thales Alenia Space have placed in our capabilities. said Rob Selby, Vice President of Nammo Space. RELIANCE is not only strategically important for the Argonaut mission, but also a key enabler for future exploration to the Moon, Mars and beyond, which reflects its importance to ESA's long-term roadmap and Nammo's vision to deliver world-class propulsion solutions. We are proud to lead this development, which will significantly grow our UK operations and open up new opportunities across the global space market.'
The consortium in detail:
Thales Alenia Space in Italy: Lunar Descent Element prime contractor and end to end system integrator, including assembly integration and testing activities.
Thales Alenia Space in France: responsible for the design, development, and validation of the Lunar Descent Element Data Handling Sub-System, including Middleware software, as well as the procurement of its component equipment including On-Board Computers.
Thales Alenia Space in the UK: responsible for the Lunar Descent Element Propulsion subsystem development and also in this case for the procurement of main components, in particular Propellant tanks and Thruster.
OHB System AG: as additional core team member of the Thales Alenia Space consortium will be responsible for Lunar Descent Element guidance, navigation and control (GNC), electrical power systems (EPS) and telecommunications (TT&C) subsystem, as well as procurement of its component equipment (Solar array, batteries, LIDAR, series of transponder).
Nammo Space: responsible for the design and procurement of the Main Engine, critical assets not only of the propulsion subsystem for the entire Argonaut LDE end item.
About Argonaut
The Argonaut lander consists of three main elements: the Lunar Descent Element (LDE), the Cargo Platform Element (CPE), and the payload. The LDE is the landing module and has the function of safely bringing the payload to the lunar surface.
The lander has a height of six metres, a diameter of 4.5 metres, and a launch mass of nearly 10 000 kg. It can carry roughly 1500 kg to the lunar surface and is designed to land with an accuracy of at least 250 metres for the first flight.
The lander is built to survive the extreme conditions of lunar nights, with temperatures as low as -150°C and complete darkness for up to 14 days.
The first mission for Argonaut is expected to launch in 2030 onboard an Ariane 64 launcher.
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