Forward to the Moon

The future of ESA Moon exploration as imagined by illustrator Ale Giorgini. ESA will play a crucial role in future Moon exploration. Technical proficiency based on decades of building spacecraft and components in Europe has resulted in the structures and technology that will ferry the next generation of astronauts to the Moon with three service modules for NASA’s Artemis missions. The Orion spacecraft will first fly an uncrewed mission beyond the Moon during the Artemis 1 mission. The Artemis 2 and Artemis 3 missions will see astronauts travel into lunar orbit on board the Orion spacecraft, powered by European service modules. Planned missions for future lunar exploration include the next orbital station built through international collaboration. The Gateway will orbit around the Moon, providing a station from which humans and robots can explore the Moon's environment ESA will provide essential modules for Gateway Meanwhile here on Earth, the Luna facility at ESA’s astronaut centre will offer world class facilities for lunar related research and training.