Spacecraft built and tested in Belfast to be sent to the Moon
The company, who have a facility in Belfast, has signed an €862 million contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) to develop the Argonaut Lunar Lander, which will deliver cargo, infrastructure and scientific instruments to the moon's surface
The Argonaut is set to launch from the 2030s and the maiden mission is expected to handle the delivery of dedicated navigation and telecommunication payloads as well as energy generation and storage systems, marking a significant step for European enterprises exploring the Lunar southern area.
Robert Hill, NI SPACE cluster manager said; 'This news is testament to the quality and credibility of Northern Ireland's space sector, which has steadily expanded through collaboration between industry, academia, and the public sector. The most exciting part is—we're going to the moon!
READ MORE: Watch: Belfast astronomer on mission to stop asteroid strike on Eartha
READ MORE: Northern Ireland born Rosemary Coogan qualifies as an astronaut
"In the next five to ten years, we will see propulsion modules from Northern Ireland landing on the moon's surface, and we will also see the region's first ESA astronaut taking flight into space after Rosemary Coogan completed her training last year. That's a major achievement and something that would have seemed impossible just five years ago.'
The Argonaut spacecraft comprises three main elements: the lunar descent element (LDE) for flying to the Moon and landing on the target, the cargo platform one, which is the interface between the lander and its payload, and finally, the element that the mission designers want to send to the Moon. A key feature of Argonaut's design is its adaptability, which is why the cargo platform is designed to accept any mission profile: cargo for astronauts near the landing site, a rover, technology demonstration packages, production facilities using lunar resources, a lunar telescope or even a power station.
This project will bolster Thales Alenia Space's expertise in several technological areas crucial to space exploration beyond the Moon.
"Argonaut lunar lander means a lot to our company" said Hervé Derrey, Thales Alenia Space CEO. "Thanks to this astonishing space vehicle, tons of cargo will be delivered to the Moon's surface, including rovers, scientific missions and many more. This new element of the Artemis program will serve at facilitating long- duration manned lunar exploration missions and will be crucial to increase European autonomy in lunar exploration.
"The Moon will also serve as a stepping stone for crewed missions into deep space, with Mars being the next stage of the journey. I wanted to express my gratitude to ESA for awarding this new contract to our company. Today's major achievement strengthens more than ever Thales Alenia Space's leading positions in the fields of space transportation systems, orbital infrastructures and space exploration".
"We are truly honored that ESA has renewed its trust in our company by awarding Thales Alenia Space this major contract to develop the European lunar lander that will enable Europe to access autonomously to the Moon's surface", Giampiero Di Paolo, Deputy CEO and Senior Vice President, Observation, Exploration and Navigation at Thales Alenia Space, expressed with pride.
"Today, with its longstanding expertise in space exploration infrastructure and vehicles, our company, in line with ESA's and ASI's visions, has decided to enhance its competitiveness by investing in the development of technological solutions to help Europe achieve its goals. Supplying a significant proportion of the International Space Station's pressurized volume, playing a major role on board Artemis, manufacturing the backbone of Orion's European service module and leading flagship transportation programs such as IXV or Space Rider, Thales Alenia Space is more than ever at the forefront of exploration and space transportation systems".
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