See also
- Lunar lander programs by country
- China: Chinese Lunar Exploration Program
- India: Chandrayaan Programme
- Russia: Luna-Glob
- United States: Commercial Lunar Payload Services (Artemis program)
- Japan: Japanese Lunar Exploration Program
| Manufacturer | European Space Agency |
|---|---|
| Designer | European Space Agency |
| Country of origin | European Union |
| Operator | European Space Agency |
| Applications | Lunar payload delivery and support |
| Specifications | |
| Spacecraft type | Lunar lander |
| Launch mass | 10,000 kg (22,000 lb) [1] |
| Payload capacity | up to 1,500 kg (3,300 lb) [1] |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 6 m (20 ft) |
| Diameter | 4.5 m (15 ft) |
| Production | |
| Status | proposal selection |
| Built | none |
| Maiden launch | 2031 (planned) [2] |
| Related spacecraft | |
| Flown with | Ariane 64 |
Argonaut or European Large Logistics Lander (EL3) is a class of lunar landers designed by the European Space Agency in partnership with Airbus to deliver payloads to the surface of the Moon. [3] The lander is being designed with a versatile set of uses in mind, including use as a power station, support for a rover, cargo delivery, and infrastructure delivery. It is envisioned to launch on an Ariane 64 launch vehicle. [4] [5] [6] As of July 2024, Argonaut Mission 1 is expected to be launched in 2031. [2]
In 2022, ESA formally sought funding for the lander in their ministerial meeting. [7] In 2024, Redwire Space was awarded a contract by ESA to develop a robotic arm for use on the lander. [8]
The Argonaut lander will consist of the descent element, cargo platform and payload. Capable of delivering up to 2,100 kg (4,600 lb), the craft will reportedly be able to land with an accuracy of 50–100 meters. [9] Engine testing began in 2024. [10] Also in 2024, the ESA committed to an Argonaut mission in 2031. [11]
The European Space Agency (ESA) is a 23-member intergovernmental body devoted to space exploration. With its headquarters in Paris and a staff of around 2,547 people globally as of 2023, the ESA was founded in 1975. Its 2024 annual budget was €7.79 billion.
The Aurora programme was a human spaceflight programme of the European Space Agency (ESA) established in 2001. The objective was to formulate and then to implement a European long-term plan for exploration of the Solar System using robotic spacecraft and human spaceflight to investigate bodies holding promise for traces of life beyond the Earth.
ExoMars is an astrobiology programme of the European Space Agency (ESA).
The Chinese Lunar Exploration Program, also known as the Chang'e Project after the Chinese Moon goddess Chang'e, is an ongoing series of robotic Moon missions by the China National Space Administration (CNSA).
The Lunar Lander was a robotic mission intended to send a lander vehicle to the Moon, led by ESA's Human Spaceflight and Operations directorate. The primary objective of the Lunar Lander mission was to demonstrate Europe's ability to deliver payload safely and accurately to the Moon's surface. More specifically the mission would have demonstrated the technologies required to achieve a soft and precise landing while autonomously avoiding surface hazards that can endanger landing and surface mission safety. These technologies will be an asset for future human and robotic exploration missions. However the project was put on hold at the 2012 ESA Ministerial Council.
The European System Providing Refueling Infrastructure and Telecommunications (ESPRIT) is an under construction module of the Lunar Gateway. It will provide refueling through additional xenon and hydrazine capacity for use in the Power and Propulsion Element's ion engines and hydrazine thrusters. It will also provide additional communications equipment, a habitation area, and storage. It will have a launch mass of approximately 10,000 kg (22,000 lb), a length of 6.4 m (21 ft), and a diameter of 4.6 m (15 ft). ESA awarded two parallel design studies for ESPRIT, one mostly led by Airbus in partnership with Comex and OHB and one led by Thales Alenia Space. The construction of the module was approved in November 2019. On 14 October 2020, Thales Alenia Space announced that they had been selected by ESA to build the ESPRIT module.
Ariane 6 is a European expendable launch system developed for the European Space Agency (ESA) and manufactured by a consortium of European companies, led by the prime contractor ArianeGroup. As part of the Ariane rocket family, it is operated by Arianespace, replacing the Ariane 5. The project’s primary contributors were France (55%), Germany (21%), and Italy (7.6%), with the remaining work distributed among ten other participating countries.
The European Service Module (ESM) is the service module component of the Orion spacecraft, serving as its primary power and propulsion component until it is discarded at the end of each mission. In January 2013, NASA announced that the European Space Agency (ESA) will contribute the service module for Artemis I, based on the ESA's Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV). It was delivered by Airbus Defence and Space in Bremen, in northern Germany to NASA at the end of 2018. After approval of the first module, the ESA will provide the ESMs from Artemis II to Artemis VI.
Luna 27 is a planned lunar lander mission by the Roscosmos to send a lander to the South Pole–Aitken basin, an area on the far side of the Moon. Its objective will be to detect and characterise lunar polar volatiles. The mission is a continuation of the Luna-Glob programme.
The Lunar Gateway, or simply Gateway, is a space station which is planned to be assembled in orbit around the Moon. The Gateway is intended to serve as a communication hub, science laboratory, and habitation module for astronauts as part of the Artemis program. It is a multinational collaborative project: participants include NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC). The Gateway is planned to be the first space station beyond low Earth orbit.
Vega C, or Vega Consolidation, is a European expendable, small-lift launch vehicle developed and produced by Avio. It is an evolution of the original Vega launcher, designed to offer greater launch performance and flexibility.
The Space Rider is a planned uncrewed orbital lifting body spaceplane aiming to provide the European Space Agency (ESA) with affordable and routine access to space. Contracts for construction of the vehicle and ground infrastructure were signed in December 2020. Its maiden flight is currently scheduled for the third quarter of 2025.
ispace Inc. is a publicly traded Japanese company developing robotic spacecraft and other technology to compete for both transportation and exploration mission contracts from space agencies and other private industries. ispace's mission is to enable its clients to discover, map, and use natural lunar resources.
The Artemis program is a Moon exploration program led by the United States' National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), formally established in 2017 via Space Policy Directive 1. It is intended to reestablish a human presence on the Moon for the first time since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. The program's stated long-term goal is to establish a permanent base on the Moon to facilitate human missions to Mars.
HERACLES is a planned robotic transport system to and from the Moon by Europe (ESA), Japan (JAXA) and Canada (CSA) that will feature a lander called the European Large Logistic Lander, a Lunar Ascent Element, and a rover. The lander can be configured for different operations such as up to 1.5 tons of cargo delivery, sample-returns, or prospecting resources found on the Moon.
The Lunar I-Hab is designed as a habitat module of the Lunar Gateway station, to be built by the European Space Agency (ESA) in collaboration with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA. The I-HAB will have a maximum launch mass of 10,000 kg (22,000 lb) and provide a habitable volume of 10 m3 (350 cu ft).
The Exploration Company (TEC) is a Franco-German spacecraft manufacturer. Founded in 2021, the company is based in Munich and Bordeaux, with additional offices in Italy, the United States and the MENA. TEC develops, manufactures and operates the Nyx space capsule for various clients, such as space agencies, other aerospace companies or businesses operating in other industries. Although its first missions will be cargo missions, Nyx is designed to ultimately also be able to carry humans.
This article documents expected notable spaceflight events during the year 2028.
| Missions |
|  | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agencies | ||||||
| Facilities | ||||||
| Rockets | ||||||
| Crewed spacecraft | ||||||
| Robotic spacecraft | ||||||
