Viasat recently joined the European Space Agency’s Moonlight project alongside programme lead Telespazio.
Moonlight is the European Space Agency’s (ESA) programme to develop a lunar orbiting Navigation and Communication system that will greatly enhance combined navigation and communications services for European and international missions both on the surface of the Moon and in lunar orbit.
The Moonlight communications system will act as a data highway on and around the Moon, and between Earth and the Moon. People, spacecraft, and lunar vehicles can access that data highway to simplify and speed communications among themselves and back to earth to better enable their scientific and exploration projects including their position over the Moon. Over time, Moonlight is expected to support additional commercial activities on the Moon such as space tourism, and manufacturing programs leveraging rare materials found on the lunar surface.
Viasat will be responsible for the design and development of the communication network and will lead the definition of the end-to-end communications services as it aims to provide a communications network for lunar landers, rovers, orbiters, and other technology. Additionally, it will be responsible for the communication earth ground infrastructure and communication lunar surface user terminals. Telespazio, as Moonlight programme lead, has executed a contract with Viasat for the initial design phase of the communication system. This work will be fully funded by the European Space Agency throughout Phase 1.
The UK Space Agency, as one of the major contributors to ESA’s Moonlight programme, chose Viasat to lead the UK ecosystem to deliver the communications capability. Moonlight services will be deployed in phases, targeting initial capability at the end of 2028 with full operations aimed by 2030.
“Moonlight is among the most forward looking and exciting projects undertaken by the European Space Agency and the UK Space Agency,” commented Mark Dankberg, Chairman and CEO, Viasat. “Viasat’s participation builds on our heritage of delivering and operating highly innovative and ambitious satellite communication programs. Alongside Telespazio, we look forward to supporting the Space Agencies by leveraging our commercial orientation, network engineering and operational skills, to reliably and securely support future generations of space exploration.”
“This marks a pivotal milestone in our commitment to the Moonlight programme. By partnering with a global leader in satellite communications, we can harness cutting-edge technologies to create a secure and efficient communications and navigation infrastructure — essential for the success of lunar missions. This collaboration reinforces our drive to innovate and deliver comprehensive solutions, paving the way for a new era in lunar exploration and resource utilisation,” added Gabriele Pieralli, CEO, Telespazio.
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