In a landmark initiative to create a satellite constellation orbiting the moon for communications and navigation services, the European Space Agency (ESA) has launched its Moonlight programme.
With over 400 planned lunar missions by space agencies and private companies in the next two decades, the programme marks a significant step towards sustainable lunar exploration and the development of a lunar economy.
The Moonlight Lunar Communications and Navigation Services (LCNS) programme will enable precise, autonomous landings and surface mobility while facilitating high-speed, low-latency communication and data transfer between earth and the moon. This infrastructure is essential for humanity’s return to, and long-term presence, on the moon while also enhancing efficiency and significantly reducing operational and user costs.
The Moonlight programme addresses critical needs in human and robotic space exploration while creating commercial opportunities for European industry in the emerging lunar economy. It will play a crucial role in supporting future deep space exploration efforts.
Moonlight will consist of five satellites – four for navigation and one for communications – connected to earth via three dedicated ground stations and creating a data network spanning up to 400 000 km. The satellites will be strategically positioned to prioritise coverage of the lunar south pole, an area of particular interest for future missions due to its “peaks of eternal light” suitable for solar power and “craters of eternal darkness” containing polar ice which can be a source of water, oxygen, and rocket fuel.
Moonlight’s implementation will occur in phases beginning with the Lunar Pathfinder, a communications relay satellite manufactured by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL), set to begin operations in 2026. Following Lunar Pathfinder, Moonlight services will be gradually deployed with initial operations by the end of 2028 and full operations by 2030.
ESA is collaborating with NASA and JAXA on LunaNet, a framework for lunar communication and navigation standards. This cooperation ensures compatibility with future lunar infrastructures and technologies, allowing a global customer base to benefit from Moonlight’s services. Moonlight will comply with LunaNet’s standards and undergo the first-ever lunar navigation interoperability tests, planned for 2029.
“ESA is taking the crucial step in supporting the future commercial lunar market as well as ongoing and future lunar missions,” says ESA director general, Josef Aschbacher. “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.”
Gabriele Pieralli, CEO of Telespazio, adds: “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.
“We are proud to play a crucial role in a programme 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,” Pieralli says.
“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,” says Dr Paul Bate, CE 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,” says Bate.
“The launch of the Moonlight programme 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,” says Teodoro Valente, president of the Italian Space Agency.