In a call for Phase A/B1 development of its Argonaut lunar lander, the European Space Agency revealed that it is targeting 2031 for the lander’s first mission to the Moon’s surface.
Funding for the development of the Argonaut lunar lander was approved by ESA member states during the agency’s ministerial council meeting in November 2022. Argonaut is designed to be a multi-use lunar lander that will be capable of delivering payloads of up to 1,800 kilograms to the surface of the Moon.
Up until now, ESA has stated that it is expected to launch Argonaut missions “from the 2030s.” On 16 July, the agency published a call for Argonaut Mission 1 Phase A/B1 development aimed at demonstrating the technical and programmatic feasibility of the Argonaut mission concept. The call included a proposed launch date of 2031 for the first Argonaut mission to the Moon.
The Argonaut lunar lander will be launched aboard an Ariane 64 rocket. Once operational, ESA envisions it being used for a wide variety of applications, from cargo logistics to acting as an in-situ resource utilization plant. The agency has already completed pre-phase A studies for what it calls the European Charging Station for the Moon. This system would be launched aboard an Argonaut lunar lander and would essentially act as a gas station on the Moon that would be used to support crewed missions on the surface of the Moon.
