Skip to main content
To KTH's start page

European Space Agency presentation on the NASA-ESA Moon programme

Welcome to one of our monthly seminars!
Presented at KTH and digital on zoom.

Time: Fri 2022-09-30 13.15

Location: F2

Video link: https://kth-se.zoom.us/j/61902640478

Participating: Guillermo Gonzalez Gomez

Export to calendar

After decades of focusing almost exclusively on the International Space Station, Europe's crewed space programme finds itself currently at a major crossroads. The ISS is fully operational with still many years of use ahead of it, and the European Space Agency would seek to maximise the use that it makes of this amazing facility. But in parallel ESA is already looking beyond ISS and setting the foundations to play a major role as NASA's main partner in their new crewed space exploration programme. The destination is no longer Low Earth Orbit, but deep space. First stop is the Moon programme, Artemis, with vehicles like the Orion crewed spacecraft and large facilities such as the Lunar Orbital Platform Gateway ( LOPG ). These will provide repeated access to the surface of the moon, both for astronauts and rovers. Initial goal is to re-take lunar scientific exploration with much newer means and instrumentation, as well as to prototype ISRU ( In Situ Resource Utilisation ) technologies. The final goal is to build the experience and confidence needed to send humans to the surface of Mars within the next two decades...