MILAN — Today, at the International Astronautical Congress 2024, the European Space Agency (ESA) has officially launched its Moonlight Program, an initiative aimed at establishing a satellite constellation around the Moon to provide communication and navigation services.
The launch of Moonlight comes as over 400 lunar missions are planned by various space agencies and private companies within the next 20 years, hoping to mark an important step towards sustainable lunar exploration and the development of a lunar economy.
The Moonlight program is a collaborative effort between ESA, industrial partners, and institutional stakeholders to create a reliable and autonomous infrastructure for communications and navigation on the Moon. The program is led by ESA’s Connectivity and Secure Communications (CSC) directorate, with support from the Navigation (NAV) and Human and Robotic Exploration (HRE) directorates. This multi-directorate approach aims to support future lunar missions by making lunar exploration more accessible and cost-effective while enhancing the scientific output of each mission.
The infrastructure will enable high-speed, low-latency communication between the Moon and Earth, allowing precise navigation for lunar landings and facilitating surface mobility. ESA envisions Moonlight as a key element in enabling the sustainable return of humanity to the Moon, potentially laying the groundwork for deeper space exploration.
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Needs, commercial opportunities and partnerships
Moonlight seeks to address essential requirements for both human and robotic space exploration by providing reliable communications and navigation capabilities. The program is also designed to foster commercial opportunities for European industry in the growing lunar economy, enabling businesses to offer services that cater to both institutional and private sector clients.
The constellation will consist of five satellites, with four dedicated to navigation and one focused on communications. These satellites will form a data network that spans up to 400,000 km, connecting to Earth through three dedicated ground stations. The network will prioritize coverage of the lunar south pole, an area of significant interest for upcoming missions. The south pole region is notable for its “peaks of eternal light,” which provide continuous sunlight for solar power, and “craters of eternal darkness,” where polar ice deposits could serve as sources of water, oxygen, and rocket fuel.
The implementation of Moonlight will occur in stages, beginning with the Lunar Pathfinder, a communications relay satellite built by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL). The Lunar Pathfinder is expected to commence operations in 2026, with Moonlight services gradually rolling out thereafter. Initial operations of the full constellation are scheduled to start by 2028, with the entire system becoming fully operational by 2030.
ESA is collaborating closely with NASA and JAXA on LunaNet, a framework that sets standards for lunar communication and navigation. This partnership ensures compatibility with future lunar infrastructure, enabling a global customer base to benefit from the services provided by Moonlight. ESA has planned the first-ever lunar navigation interoperability tests for 2029, aligning Moonlight’s infrastructure with LunaNet standards to ensure seamless operation across different international systems.
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Contract signing at IAC 2024
The Moonlight program was officially launched during a contract signing ceremony at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Milan. The event featured several key figures, including Laurent Jaffart, ESA’s Director of Connectivity and Secure Communications; Javier Benedicto, ESA’s Director of Navigation; Daniel Neuenschwander, ESA’s Director of Human and Robotic Exploration; and Gabriele Pieralli, CEO of Telespazio, a major industrial partner in the program.
Also present at the signing ceremony ESA’s Astronaut Alexander Gerst, who briefly talked about the impact of this program on Astronauts’ life on the Moon and future Lunar missions.
“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 in a separate statement.
ESA’s Director of Navigation, Laurent Jaffart, commented just before the signing: “We will connect people on the Moon, you will not have to carry your own telecommunications systems. Focus on the mission.”
Industry and government support
The Moonlight program has garnered strong support from various stakeholders, including leading industrial partners and national space agencies.
Gabriele Pieralli, CEO of Telespazio, emphasized the significance of the initiative: “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,” he said. “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 UK Space Agency is one of Moonlight’s major investors, alongside Italy, and sees the program as a driver of commercial lunar services. “The growth of a commercial lunar economy can bring real benefits back to Earth,” said Dr. Paul Bate, Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency. “We will work closely with ESA, Telespazio, SSTL and a range of other British companies to develop and deliver innovative commercial lunar services.”
Italy is also a prominent supporter of Moonlight, with the Italian Space Agency (ASI) playing a pivotal role in the program’s development. Teodoro Valente, President of ASI, noted, “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.”
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Towards a sustainable Lunar future
With the Moonlight program now officially underway, ESA aims to lay the foundation for a sustainable human presence on the Moon. The program’s emphasis on autonomous, precise navigation and robust communication networks will not only support upcoming lunar missions but also foster deeper collaboration with international partners.
By prioritizing the lunar south pole for coverage and aligning with LunaNet standards, Moonlight sets the stage for a new era of lunar exploration that can support both scientific discovery and economic growth.
As the Moonlight infrastructure is gradually deployed, its impact on lunar exploration and the broader space industry will likely become a model for future endeavors beyond Earth’s orbit. Several commercial companies expressed interest in developing and deploying constellation around Moon or Mars, but: how many of them will see the light?
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