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Luxembourg, October 27, 2020. – The European Space Agency (ESA) has signed an agreement with NASA to contribute to the first human outpost in lunar orbit, known as the Gateway, ESA announced.
ESA is committed to delivering at least two European service modules that provide electricity, water, oxygen and nitrogen to NASA’s Orion spacecraft, ESA said. The European agency will also receive three flight opportunities for European astronauts to travel and work at the Gateway.
The lunar portal will enable sustainable exploration and research around and on the Moon and will demonstrate the technologies and processes necessary to carry out a future mission to Mars, ESA said. The European commitment includes the construction of the main habitat for astronauts when they visit the Gateway, known as the I-Hab.
A second European contribution is a Gateway module called ESPRIT, ESA said. It will provide improved communications, refueling capability and a window, similar to the Cupola observatory built in Europe on the International Space Station (ISS). The commitments were approved by ESA Member States at ESA’s Space19 + Ministerial Council in Seville last year.
European participation in NASA’s Artemis program has been brewing for many years, said ESA Director General Jan Wörner. “Throughout 20 years of continuous human presence on the International Space Station, we have seen an unprecedented level of cooperation between nations.”
The agreement with NASA “marks a critical point in Europa’s trajectory: it confirms that we are heading towards the Moon, not only in terms of equipment and technology, but also with our people,” Wörner said. “Europe will play a central role in the new era of global space exploration together with NASA and our partners, offering exemplary, game-changing architectures for exploring the Moon and Mars and inspiring generations to come.”
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