Lunar Pathfinder

Lunar Pathfinder, developed through a commercial partnership with Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL), is a pioneering satellite designed to support the next era of lunar exploration by providing reliable communication services in orbit around the Moon and for lunar surface vehicles. The satellite will also host experiments that will investigate the possibility of using current Earth navigation satellites for lunar navigation, perform laser ranging measurements and provide radiation data from around the Moon.

Lunar Pathfinder is currently being assembled at SSTL's facilities in the UK and will undergo rigorous environmental testing before its launch, set for no earlier than the end of 2025. The spacecraft will be launched on a Falcon 9 rocket and carried into lunar orbit by Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lander through NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) programme, made possible by a NASA-ESA barter agreement.

With an increasing number of lunar missions on the horizon—including NASA’s Artemis, ESA’s Argonaut, and numerous commercial ventures — a robust network of communication and data relay satellites will be critical. As the precursor mission of ESA’s Moonlight programme, Lunar Pathfinder will pave the way for the next step of Moonlight, the Lunar Communication and Navigation Services (LCNS), providing vital communications and data relay services to lunar orbiters, surface missions, and Earth-based teams, ensuring seamless connectivity between lunar missions and Earth, and enabling continuous communication between astronauts, landers, rovers, orbiters, robots and mission control, even from the far side of the Moon. Leveraging on the Lunar Pathfinder heritage, and as part of Moonlight, LCNS will bring enhanced communication support capabilities and game-changing lunar navigation support services.