NASA + ESA Cooperation Cooperatively Combine Exploration Ruminations

Over the last 6 months, representatives from NASA and the European Space Agency, or ESA, have been engaged in a detailed assessment of potential programs and technologies that when conducted cooperatively could one day support a human outpost on the moon. Findings from the study included a significant mutual interest in the potential development of lunar cargo landing systems, communication and navigation systems, lunar orbital infrastructures, and lunar surface systems, such as habitats or mobility systems. The study also identified the significant value gained from redundant human crew transportation capability.

NASA and ESA experts briefed the results of their Comparative Architecture Assessment this week during an ESA sponsored integrated architecture review held at ESA’s European Space Research and Technology Centre in Noordwijk, The Netherlands. The study assessed the degree to which NASA and ESA’s lunar exploration architecture concepts could complement, augment, or enhance the exploration plans of one another. Technical teams from each agency engaged in a series of joint, qualitative assessments of the potential scientific and exploration benefits from collaboration between the ESA capabilities under study and NASA’s space transportation systems and lunar surface exploration architecture concepts. NASA is studying lunar surface exploration architecture concepts to support humans returning to the moon before 2020. Consistent with the principles of the Global Exploration Strategy — a framework for coordinating space exploration plans of 14 participating agencies from around the world — NASA is pursuing its lunar exploration plans under an “open architecture” approach. ESA is studying scenarios and associated architectures for human space exploration, building upon its extensive human space flight experience, including its contributions to the International Space Station program.