ESA Selects NUVIEW for Lunar LiDAR Phase A Study
Actor Leonardo DiCaprio, an Investor in NUVIEW, Backs the Moonraker Mission’s Push to Map the Moon’s Polar Regions
The European Space Agency has selected the NUVIEW Moonraker mission for a Phase A study under ESA’s Small Missions for Exploration – Destination the Moon program, moving the Berlin-based company’s lunar terrain mapping effort into a formal feasibility phase.
“Moonraker is a direct extension of our commercial LiDAR architecture into lunar orbit.”
Katie Graumann, NUVIEW
NUVIEW serves as prime contractor and leads an international consortium developing space-based LiDAR for lunar applications. The Phase A study will advance Moonraker’s design toward the mission’s goal of deploying a LiDAR-equipped spacecraft into lunar orbit.
The mission will focus on the lunar South Pole and other areas of interest, including permanently shadowed regions. Accurate terrain data in those areas is critical for evaluating potential landing sites and supporting resource utilization planning.
“Moonraker is a direct extension of our commercial LiDAR architecture into lunar orbit,” said Katie Graumann, CEO of NUVIEW Germany. “By adapting the systems we are deploying for Earth observation, we can provide reliable, mission-critical terrain data that helps reduce risk for future lunar landings and surface operations.”
Moonraker would downlink LiDAR data directly to Earth, where it would be processed into three-dimensional Digital Elevation Models. Those models are intended to support landing site identification, hazard assessment, and surface planning for future robotic and human missions.
ESA’s Small Missions for Exploration program is designed to advance European capabilities for lunar and deep-space missions through targeted, lower-cost studies. The Moonraker selection contributes to ESA’s broader objectives for long-term lunar surface architecture.
Actor and environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio, an investor in NUVIEW, addressed the mission’s scope.
“Understanding the Moon through high resolution 3D mapping allows us to make smarter, safer decisions,” DiCaprio said. “Technologies like NUVIEW’s space-based LiDAR strengthen exploration while reinforcing the importance of Earth observation and environmental intelligence as humanity expands beyond our planet.”
Phase A is the initial feasibility and concept study stage in ESA’s mission development process. Advancing through subsequent phases would require additional ESA selection decisions and funding commitments.