Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), has secured a €862 million (£721m) contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) to develop the Argonaut Lunar Lander, which will deliver cargo, infrastructure and scientific instruments to the moon’s surface.
And it has been confirmed that the lander’s propulsion module will be built, tested and assembled in Thales’ Space Manufacturing and Assembly facility in Belfast ahead of a planned launch in 2030.
The propulsion module will enable the lander to ascend and descend to the moon’s surface, carrying its cargo of scientific instruments, rovers, and more, which will assure European autonomous access to the moon.
Thales UK operate two sites in the north, with high precision missiles designed and produced at a plant in east Belfast, and final missile assembly at another plant in Crossgar.
The Northern Ireland space sector continues to grow from strength to strength, and this latest Argonaut announcement is seen as signalling an exciting time for the region, which has already firmly established itself as a global leader.
Robert Hill, manager of the NI Space cluster, said: “This news is testament to the quality and credibility of Northern Ireland’s space sector, which has steadily expanded through collaboration between industry, academia, and the public sector.
“And the most exciting part is - we’re going to the moon!
“In the next five to ten years, we will see propulsion modules from Northern Ireland landing on the moon’s surface, and we will also see the region’s first ESA astronaut taking flight into space after Rosemary Coogan completed her training last year.
“That’s a major achievement and something that would have seemed impossible just five years ago.”
Hervé Derrey, chief executive of Thales Alenia Space, said: “Argonaut lunar lander means a lot to our company, and thanks to this astonishing space vehicle, tons of cargo will be delivered to the moon’s surface, including rovers, scientific missions and many more.
“This new element of the Artemis program will serve at facilitating long-duration manned lunar exploration missions and will be crucial to increase European autonomy in lunar exploration.
“The moon will also serve as a stepping stone for crewed missions into deep space, with Mars being the next stage of the journey. I wanted to express my gratitude to ESA for awarding this new contract to our company.”
