The Italian Space Agency announced 25 July that its lunar surface Multi-Purpose Habitation module has passed a mission definition review.
In late 2022, the Italian Space Agency (ASI) signed an agreement with NASA to cooperate in achieving the goals of the US agency’s Artemis programme. This cooperation was better defined in June 2022 with the signing of a bilateral cooperation agreement that would see ASI oversee the preliminary design of the lunar surface Multi-Purpose Habitation (MPH) module.
The MPH module is intended to offer astronauts visiting the surface of the Moon a lunar refuge and a means to extend scientific missions beyond the resource limits of what could be carried aboard a crewed lander.
In November 2023, ASI awarded Thales Alenia Space a contract to complete the MPH preliminary design. On 25 July, both ASI and Thales announced that this process had been completed. ASI conducted the MPH module’s mission definition review with participation from Thales Alenia Space representatives and under the supervision of NASA experts.
“The Mission Definition Review of the Multi-Purpose Habitation Module (MPH) is a key milestone that marks the evolution of the first permanent module, destined for human life on the Moon’s surface,” explained Thales Alenia Space in a statement.
A decision on whether or not to move forward with the development of the MPH module will be made by NASA in September 2025. If the agency gives the project the green light, it will be adopted into the agency’s Artemis programme as part of its Moon to Mars Strategy.
