ESA’s first lunar rover rolls forward

At a signing ceremony yesterday evening at the Space for Inspiration event in Copenhagen, Denmark, ESA and ispace-Europe celebrated the implementation of MAGPIE (Mission for Advanced Geophysics and Polar Ice Exploration), set to be the first European rover on the Moon. The rover is designed to operate for roughly 10 Earth days on the lunar south pole, where it will detect and measure water and other volatiles and analyse the subsurface geology. MAGPIE carries a drill, volatile analyser, ground-penetrating radar and neutron detector to accomplish these goals.

ESA has selected ispace-Europe as prime contractor to build, develop and fly MAGPIE. The rover is scheduled to launch in 2029 aboard ispace's Mission 4 lunar lander, as part of a collaboration between ESA and JAXA. ESA Director of Human and Robotic Exploration Daniel Neuenschwander described the south pole as a key destination, adding that MAGPIE will provide critical knowledge for sustainable lunar exploration and demonstrates a new, more agile and cost-effective approach as ESA's first lunar small mission under the Moon Explore initiative. ispace-Europe CEO Julien-Alexandre Lamamy noted the consortium combines commercial delivery with world-class science and will help build Europe's operational capability on the lunar surface.

The mission is expected to improve understanding of the lunar environment and its resources, which is critical for the next phase of lunar exploration. ESA says more information on its small missions and other lunar endeavours will be released in October.