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| Lunar Lander is a robotic explorer that will demonstrate key European technologies and conduct science experiments. The mission is a forerunner to future human and robotic exploration of the Moon and Mars. Like the SMART-1 program, the ESA Lunar Lander is intended to establish European expertise and encourage "strong international partnerships in exploration" [ESA]. |
HT: Jason Major, Universe Today
European Space Agency - After more than 30 years, the Moon is once again in the spotlight of space agencies worldwide, as a destination for both robotic missions and human explorers. Europe’s ambitions for lunar exploration begin with a lander on the Moon in 2018.
Plans call for launching the ESA Lunar Lander on board a newly designed Soyuz 2.1B, attached to a high-performance fregat upper stage, from the Russian launch facility adjacent to Europe's busy Guiana Space Centre at Kourou, French Guiana, near the equator on the Atlantic coast of South America. Utilizing a low energy transfer orbit, boosting the height of perigee in successive orbits, the Lunar Lander will rendezvous with the Moon and brake into a polar orbit.
Lunar Lander is a robotic explorer that will demonstrate key European technologies and conduct science experiments. The mission is a forerunner to future human and robotic exploration of the Moon and Mars. It will establish European expertise to allow strong international partnerships in exploration.
Lunar Lander’s primary goal is to demonstrate the advanced technologies needed to land precisely and safely. The spacecraft will find its landing site without human intervention, recognising and avoiding hazards such as craters and boulders autonomously.
On the Moon, it will prove European technologies for surviving and working while exploring the environment around the landing site. The choice of the high rim of Shackleton crater, location of the Moon's south pole, should allow long periods of near-constant availability of solar energy.
Before operating more ambitious equipment and conducting human activities on the Moon, many questions need to be answered. How hazardous is lunar dust to equipment and astronauts? Does the Moon offer resources that could be used by future missions?
Plans call for launching the ESA Lunar Lander on board a newly designed Soyuz 2.1B, attached to a high-performance fregat upper stage, from the Russian launch facility adjacent to Europe's busy Guiana Space Centre at Kourou, French Guiana, near the equator on the Atlantic coast of South America. Utilizing a low energy transfer orbit, boosting the height of perigee in successive orbits, the Lunar Lander will rendezvous with the Moon and brake into a polar orbit.
Lunar Lander is a robotic explorer that will demonstrate key European technologies and conduct science experiments. The mission is a forerunner to future human and robotic exploration of the Moon and Mars. It will establish European expertise to allow strong international partnerships in exploration.
Lunar Lander’s primary goal is to demonstrate the advanced technologies needed to land precisely and safely. The spacecraft will find its landing site without human intervention, recognising and avoiding hazards such as craters and boulders autonomously.
On the Moon, it will prove European technologies for surviving and working while exploring the environment around the landing site. The choice of the high rim of Shackleton crater, location of the Moon's south pole, should allow long periods of near-constant availability of solar energy.
Before operating more ambitious equipment and conducting human activities on the Moon, many questions need to be answered. How hazardous is lunar dust to equipment and astronauts? Does the Moon offer resources that could be used by future missions?
Lunar Lander will touch down near to the Moon’s south pole, an interesting location for future exploration missions, where no craft has landed before. The technologies developed to reach this site, together with a deeper understanding of this challenging environment, will equip Europe’s scientists and engineers for future cooperation on even more ambitious exploration missions.
Related Posts:
ESA: more about its Lunar Rover (March 16, 2008)
ESA input sought on multi-purpose lunar lander (March 2, 2009)
ESA demonstrates lunar life support system (June 6, 2009)
Astrium study of ESA NEXT lunar lander underway (June 10, 2009)
Russia comes to South America (June 18, 2009)
Remembering SMART-1 (September 17, 2009)
ESA: Fly us to the Moon's South Pole (March 31, 2010)
NEXT step for ESA's first lunar lander (September 16, 2010)
Scientific Preparations for Lunar Exploration Workshop (November 14, 2011)
Astrium tests ESA Lunar Lander thrusters (March 5, 2012)
ESA's MoonNEXT boosted by ATV development (April 30, 2012)
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