Agreement between ESA and NASA to bring the first three European astronauts to the moon.
At first they will participate in missions aboard the future Gateway space station, in the lunar orbit, but then they will prepare to walk on the ground of our satellite.
The announcement came at the end of the Council of the European Space Agency (ESA), which was held in the ESA Technology Center (Estec) in the Netherlands, in Noordwijk, and which was also attended by the chief administrator of NASA , Bill Nelson.
A significant presence, that of NASA, to underline how the relations between the space agencies of the two countries have become even more solid after the invasion of Ukraine led ESA to stop all collaboration with Russia.
The war has made its weight felt in the space world, canceling collaborations and postponing an important mission such as that of ESA and Russia on Mars, ExoMars, which should have been launched this year.
After the stop and a postponement no earlier than 2026, ExoMars is now preparing to see a more important role from the United States.
NASA has already supplied the Moma instrument for the Rosalind Franklin rover whose future, Aschbacher said, will be discussed in the next ESA Council scheduled for July.
The collaboration with Mars also includes ESA's participation in NASA's Mars Sample Return program and NASA is defining "the best way to support our European friends in the ExoMars mission," Nelson said.
The international collaboration, on the other hand, continues smoothly in the International Space Station (ISS), where "American and Russian astronauts work together in a professional way - said the chief administrator of NASA - and the collaboration between the ISS control center is also very professional. in the United States and Russia. Despite the ongoing tragedies in Ukraine, the partnership on the ISS is solid. "And the partnership between ESA and NASA is also" very strong, "Aschbacher said.
intended to provide communication and navigation services for the exploration of the lunar surface.
The British company Sstl is already building the Lunar Pathfinder, the first lunar satellite for telecommunications and NASA will take it into the lunar orbit, in exchange for access to signals.
Finally, Europe and the United States also join forces in the field of Earth observation, for the protection of the planet and to study climate change, thanks to the framework agreement signed within the Council.
The two space agencies plan to share data in this field to offer even more support to climate research.
"When it comes to global challenges, such as the climate crisis, everyone has their role to play, but - said Aschbacher - it is only by joining forces that we can achieve more."
