The European Space Agency (ESA) launched a program on Tuesday to create a constellation of five satellites in orbit around the Moon to assist communications and navigation for astronauts and robots on the lunar surface.
The first of the communications transmission satellites, It will begin operating in 2026, the year in which the United States hopes to return to the surface of the Moon.with the first female astronaut and the first black astronaut.
Subsequently, the remaining navigation satellites will be progressively placed into orbit, which will come into operation between 2028 and 2030.
According to a statement from ESA, which this Tuesday contracted the program, called Moonlight, at the International Astronautical Congress in Milan, Italy, the satellites will allow “precise and autonomous” lunar landings and “surface mobility” and will facilitate “high speed.” communication and data transfer” between the Earth and the Moon.
In the note, ESA highlights that the satellite constellation “It is essential for the return of humanity and its long-term presence on the Moon” and “increases efficiency and significantly reduces operating and usage costs.”
According to the ESA, more than 400 lunar missions (manned and robotic) are planned in the next 20 years by space agencies and private companies.
The Luar program satellite constellation will be connected to Earth through three stations, creating a data network that will extend up to 400 thousand kilometers.
The satellites will be strategically located to prioritize coverage of the lunar south pole, a region where the United States intends to study in 2026.
The Moon’s south pole has “spikes of eternal light,” suitable for keeping equipment running on solar power, and “craters of eternal darkness,” which contain ice that could be a source of water, oxygen and fuel.
ESA, of which Portugal is a member, is collaborating with its North American (NASA) and Japanese (JAXA) counterparts in defining lunar communication and navigation standards to guarantee “the compatibility” of the systems with “future lunar infrastructures and technologies.” “.
Source: Observadora
