ESA has kicked off the next phase of its Moonlight programme, following a contract signature for Moonlight Lunar Communications and Navigation Services (LCNS) at the International Astronautical Congress in Milan on 15 October 2024. The signing ceremony was attended by Laurent Jaffart, ESA Director of Connectivity and Secure Communications; Javier Benedicto, ESA Director of Navigation; Daniel Neuenschwander, ESA Director of Human and Robotic Exploration; and Gabriele Pieralli, Chief Executive Officer of Telespazio.
Moonlight, supported by the UK and Italian Space Agencies, will be pivotal in humanity’s return to the lunar surface, creating a constellation of five lunar satellites (one high data rate communications and four navigation) to support over 400 planned missions to the Moon over the next 20 years. The programme will leverage ESA’s standing as a strong international partner, with cooperation and interoperability at the heart of Moonlight’s mission, as well as ensuring a sustainable lunar economy.
The Moonlight programme works with industry and institutional partners to develop three core projects:
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The Lunar Communications and Navigation Services (LCNS), which will be driven as a commercial partnership project between ESA and a Telespazio-led industrial consortium.
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Product activities to be proposed by industry for the exploitation with commercial and institutional lunar markets, with such opportunities being announced by ESA or national authorities.
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Advanced Technologies, which will ensure the medium- and longer-term technological readiness and capabilities of European and Canadian industry to support and drive the cislunar economy, such activities will be initiated by ESA.
According to a 2024 NSR report, the lunar market represents a $151 billion revenue opportunity between 2023 and 2033. Governments are expected to form 75% of these revenues from the lunar economy, it is therefore pivotal for ESA to provide leadership and support European and Canadian industry. Through Moonlight lunar missions will no longer need to individually develop their own communications systems, allowing time and resources to be focused on other areas of the mission.
The programme ensures that Europe will have a major role in lunar activities, being key partners across present and future international cooperation. Moonlight LCNS brings together two industrial consortiums, one for the Lunar Pathfinder, led by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd., and another for the Moonlight Communication (COM) and Navigation (NAV) System, handled by Telespazio.
The commercial model of the LCNS activity will enable the commercially owned and operated lunar COM-NAV services to offer services directly to commercial, ESA, and government missions. This is enabled through ESA supporting the infrastructure development and acting as service anchor customer.
“ESA is taking the crucial step in supporting the future commercial lunar market, as well as ongoing and future lunar missions. We are extremely proud to be working with industry and Member States to ensure that our technological capabilities can support and foster cooperation on the Moon with our international partners,” said ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher.
"This year saw the first commercial soft landing on the moon, and we expect there to be hundreds of new lunar missions launching over the next decade alone. With these missions will come increased demand for communications and navigation services which can be provided by commercial entities,” said Dr Paul Bate, Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency. “The growth of a commercial lunar economy can bring real benefits back to Earth and, as one of the two leading international investors in Moonlight alongside Italy, the UK is a strong supporter of the programme. We will work closely with ESA, Telespazio, SSTL and a range of other British companies to develop and deliver innovative commercial lunar services that serve institutional and private sector customers alike."
"The launch of the Moonlight program is a cornerstone of Europe's role in future lunar activities, as its telecommunications and navigation infrastructure will pave the way for future exploration missions and the growth of a lunar economy. Italy is proudly at the forefront of this endeavour, leveraging its industrial excellence and with the strong support from ASI, and is committed to playing a major role in establishing a sustainable presence on the Moon, in cooperation with our international partners,” said Teodoro Valente, President of the Italian Space Agency.
“Leading a prestigious pan-European team, Telespazio is committed to creating the conditions for a stable and secure presence on the Moon while simultaneously opening up extraordinary commercial opportunities for Europe in cis-lunar space,” said Gabriele Pieralli, CEO of Telespazio. “We are proud to play a crucial role in a program that will not only represent a key milestone in current and future space challenges but will also be a fundamental element in promoting synergies between ESA and other international space agencies."
The Moonlight programme represents an ESA multi-directorate initiative, led by Connectivity and Secure Communications with support from Navigation and Human and Robotic Exploration, alongside industrial and institutional partners. It will stand to benefit upcoming ESA, international and commercial lunar missions through lowering barriers to entry, increasing investment returns both commercially and scientifically, while pushing the boundaries of human knowledge and exploration.
