ESA Awards Contract for Development of Lunar Cargo Lander

Thales Alenia Space to Design and Deliver the Argonaut Spacecraft

ESA has awarded a contract valued at €862 million (≈$886 million) to Thales Alenia Space related to the design, the development and the delivery of the Lunar Descent Element (LDE) for ESA’s Argonaut Mission, including responsibility for mission design and integration.

“Thanks to this astonishing space vehicle, tons of cargo will be delivered to the Moon’…