MoonNext
Encyclopedia
The MoonNext Mission, also known as the ESA Lunar Lander, is a proposal by the European Space Agency
to send a high capacity cargo lander to the lunar surface using a full Ariane 5 rocket. The mission would be launched from Kourou
in 2018 taking a few days to transfer from Earth to a Low Circular Lunar orbit. A landing would then take place at the Lunar south pole
and the deployed equipment and payload would be operational for one year once on the moons surface. Different approaches to meeting this goal are currently being considered by ESA.
would become autonomous 1 hour and 30 minutes before touch down with the Coasting, Breaking and Approach phases as well as the Terminal Descent all being carried out without direct human guidance. The payload of surface experiments and a possible Rover (if the mission mass budget allows) would then be deployed for 1 year of operations during which time the mission would maintain direct contact with Earth. The actual landing mass of the craft is proposed to be between 650 and 800 kg with a payload capability of a few tens of kilo's.
The mission proposal also includes the payload objectives of carrying lunar environmental monitoring and geophysics
experiments, these experiments would be aimed at identifying and characterizing potential hazards such as dust contamination, radiation
and impact threats . The Lander (spacecraft)
would also demonstrate technologies for future human exploration by supporting the first man made ecosystem during its operational lifespan and it is hoped the mission will be able to characterize a location for a potential human outpost as well as assessing the internal structure and composition providing information on the geological history of the moon.
, the spaceport from which the MoonNext mission would be launched, is situated in French Guiana
, an overseas department of France
, and its launch operations are jointly run by the ESA, CNES
(the French national space program) and Arianespace, who all maintain teams and facilities there in addition to Guiana's own space-oriented industries. The ESA would also work closely with Roscosmos, the Russian Federal Space Agency
to produce the mainly Soyuz
-based components as well as drawing upon personnel and skills from European Countries and Associate ESA members to produce the internal components and possible Rover to construct the proposed deployment vehicle and lander.
European Space Agency
The European Space Agency , established in 1975, is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to the exploration of space, currently with 18 member states...
to send a high capacity cargo lander to the lunar surface using a full Ariane 5 rocket. The mission would be launched from Kourou
Kourou
Kourou is a commune in French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America.Kourou is the location of the Guiana Space Centre, France and ESA's main spaceport.-Geography:...
in 2018 taking a few days to transfer from Earth to a Low Circular Lunar orbit. A landing would then take place at the Lunar south pole
Lunar south pole
The lunar south pole is of special interest to scientists because of the postulated occurrence of ice in permanently shadowed areas. Of the lunar poles, the south pole is of greater interest because the area that remains in shadow is much larger than that at the north pole. The lunar south pole...
and the deployed equipment and payload would be operational for one year once on the moons surface. Different approaches to meeting this goal are currently being considered by ESA.
Objectives
The missions overall objectives would be to perform a Autonomous Soft Precision Landing including the demonstration of hazard avoidance technology and systems. The Lander (spacecraft)Lander (spacecraft)
A lander is a spacecraft which descends toward and comes to rest on the surface of an astronomical body. For bodies with atmospheres, the landing is called atmospheric reentry and the lander descends as a re-entry vehicle...
would become autonomous 1 hour and 30 minutes before touch down with the Coasting, Breaking and Approach phases as well as the Terminal Descent all being carried out without direct human guidance. The payload of surface experiments and a possible Rover (if the mission mass budget allows) would then be deployed for 1 year of operations during which time the mission would maintain direct contact with Earth. The actual landing mass of the craft is proposed to be between 650 and 800 kg with a payload capability of a few tens of kilo's.
The mission proposal also includes the payload objectives of carrying lunar environmental monitoring and geophysics
Geophysics
Geophysics is the physics of the Earth and its environment in space; also the study of the Earth using quantitative physical methods. The term geophysics sometimes refers only to the geological applications: Earth's shape; its gravitational and magnetic fields; its internal structure and...
experiments, these experiments would be aimed at identifying and characterizing potential hazards such as dust contamination, radiation
Radiation
In physics, radiation is a process in which energetic particles or energetic waves travel through a medium or space. There are two distinct types of radiation; ionizing and non-ionizing...
and impact threats . The Lander (spacecraft)
Lander (spacecraft)
A lander is a spacecraft which descends toward and comes to rest on the surface of an astronomical body. For bodies with atmospheres, the landing is called atmospheric reentry and the lander descends as a re-entry vehicle...
would also demonstrate technologies for future human exploration by supporting the first man made ecosystem during its operational lifespan and it is hoped the mission will be able to characterize a location for a potential human outpost as well as assessing the internal structure and composition providing information on the geological history of the moon.
International collaborations
KourouKourou
Kourou is a commune in French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America.Kourou is the location of the Guiana Space Centre, France and ESA's main spaceport.-Geography:...
, the spaceport from which the MoonNext mission would be launched, is situated in French Guiana
French Guiana
French Guiana is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department located on the northern Atlantic coast of South America. It has borders with two nations, Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west...
, an overseas department of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and its launch operations are jointly run by the ESA, CNES
CNES
The is the French government space agency . Established under President Charles de Gaulle in 1961, its headquarters are located in central Paris and it is under the supervision of the French Ministries of Defence and Research...
(the French national space program) and Arianespace, who all maintain teams and facilities there in addition to Guiana's own space-oriented industries. The ESA would also work closely with Roscosmos, the Russian Federal Space Agency
Russian Federal Space Agency
The Russian Federal Space Agency , commonly called Roscosmos and abbreviated as FKA and RKA , is the government agency responsible for the Russian space science program and general aerospace research. It was previously the Russian Aviation and Space Agency .Headquarters of Roscosmos are located...
to produce the mainly Soyuz
Soyuz
Soyuz is Russian for "Union", and was often used as an abbreviation for the "Union of Soviet Socialist Republics" during the Communist era. In English, the term is left untranslated in the names of several Soviet-related concepts...
-based components as well as drawing upon personnel and skills from European Countries and Associate ESA members to produce the internal components and possible Rover to construct the proposed deployment vehicle and lander.
Extra Reading
- The MoonNext Mission – pdf format presentation by the ESA and MoonNext Team (2008)
- MoonNext ; A Proposed ESA Lunar Lander Mission – pdf format high detail proposal (2008)
- Next step for ESA’s first Moon lander