ESA is offering a unique opportunity to contribute to its lunar science and exploration strategy.
"This is an excellent opportunity for small and medium-sized companies to increase their role in the field of space exploration."
Xavier Barbier, ESA
ESA's Terrae Novae exploration program is advancing Europe's presence in space by using robots as precursors and scouts, bringing the benefits of exploration back to society. The Terrae Novae 2030+ strategy has essentially three goals: establishing a sustained European presence in low-Earth orbit, sending the first European astronaut to explore the Moon's surface by 2030, and participating in the first human mission to Mars.
Small missions for exploration are a new component of this strategy. "They are intended to support the implementation of the Terrae Novae roadmap, focusing on closing technology gaps and expanding our scientific knowledge of both the Moon and Mars," explains Xavier Barbier, ESA engineer leading the call for ideas.
The call for proposals targets small missions to the Moon. "This call is quite broad, as we are looking for a variety of innovative ideas for lunar missions," said Barbier. "This is an excellent opportunity for small and medium-sized companies to increase their role in the field of space exploration. Proposals can come from individual companies as well as from consortia including research institutions." The proposed missions can range from fly-by satellites and orbiters to landers and rovers, as long as their focus is on exploration and scientific activities. Besides that, their total cost should not exceed €50 million (≈ $53 million), and their development from kickoff to launch should take less than 4.5 years.
To stay within budget, opportunities could be provided to use established resources, such as the new Ariane 6 launcher for a 'piggyback' ride on the launch of the main payload or the Moonlight program, for lunar communications and navigation services.
"Ideally, candidates should be able to develop their idea from start to finish," Barbier said. That means that the company or consortia not only proposes the mission, but also has the ability to see it through the implementation phase."
The call is open until December 14, 2023. A workshop will take place on October 5 at 14:00 CEST in ESTEC and online to present the initiative to participants and address any questions. Submissions will be evaluated in early 2024. Selected mission concepts requiring further maturation will start feasibility studies in mid-2024.