LightShip (spacecraft)

LightShip

Operator	European Space Agency
Applications	Mars payload delivery and support
Specifications
Spacecraft type	Uncrewed space tug
Production
Status	Proposed
Built	None
Maiden launch	2032 (planned)

LightShip is a proposed class of uncrewed interplanetary spacecraft under development by the European Space Agency (ESA) that will serve as a space tug for transporting payloads to Mars and provide communication, navigation, and weather monitoring services from a high Mars orbit. It will use its onboard solar electric propulsion to transport other spacecraft to vicinity of Mars and after the payload separates, LightShip will move to a high orbit of nearly 6000 km above the surface to form part of the Mars Communication and Navigation Infrastructure (MARCONI). The first LightShip mission is planned for 2032. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Name

It is named after a lightship—a ship that acts as a lighthouse. ^[1]

See also

• List of European Space Agency programmes and missions

References

1. "Seven things you didn't know about Europe's tug to Mars – To Mars and back" . Retrieved 2025-08-19.
2. Parsonson, Andrew (2025-01-21). "ESA Selects Consortia to Define Payload Platforms for Mars Tug". European Spaceflight. Retrieved 2025-08-19.
3. B, Emily (2025-08-18). "ESA Increases Mars Ambitions with Mars Transportation Infrastructure". Space Scout. Retrieved 2025-08-19.