Europe’s lunar ambitions are in limbo

The European Space Agency is preparing for the potential cancellation of key parts of the Artemis Moon programme.

In a report for the Financial Times, Peggy Hollinger and Clive Cookson say Europe’s Moon plans are at risk following a DOGE review of spending at NASA:

‘The European Space Agency is preparing for potential cancellation by US President Donald Trump of key elements of the Artemis Moon programme, the vehicle for many of Europe’s lunar ambitions.

Daniel Neuenschwander, the ESA’s head of robotic and human exploration, said the US was a crucial partner for Europe in space exploration but it was obvious there were “changes taking place on the US side”.

“We will sit with our Nasa counterparts and assess what it means for our co-operation . . . I’m aware that these discussions may become more transactional than in the past. Europe will be prepared.”

The comments come as members of Elon Musk’s team from the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) have begun to review spending at Nasa, including the US space agency’s near-$100bn Artemis programme that aims to beat China in returning humans to the Moon.’

In Reuters, Gianluca Lo Nostro writes that plans for a European space merger may be gathering steam:

‘The CEO of Airbus said on Thursday he would be happy if space merger talks with Thales and Leonardo led to a venture like the MBDA European missile project and hopes EU antitrust regulators will take a looser stance than in the past.

"We are looking at different scenarios... In Europe, we have technologies, even better ones (than in the US), but we are missing the scale that we need to be competitive," Guillaume Faury said during an earnings call.

MBDA, owned by Airbus, Britain's BAE Systems and Italy's Leonardo, was created in 2001 with the goal of making it one of the top global missile makers after a decade of military budget cuts across Europe that spurred sector consolidation.’

In Space News, Brian G. Chow argues that collaboration is needed to design and implement an ‘Iron Dome’ that is timely, cost-effective, and capable of ensuring crisis stability:

‘On January 27, President Trump signed an executive order to establish the “Iron Dome for America.” This directive mandates that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth submit a plan for a next-generation missile defense shield within 60 days, allowing the President to review it before the finalization of the Fiscal Year 2026 Budget.

Now is an opportune time to reconsider the potential of using space-based interceptors to destroy missiles during their most vulnerable boost phase. As space increasingly becomes a recognized domain for military operations, resistance to deploying defensive weapons in space is fading — especially when such systems can help promote crisis stability and enhance security. Furthermore, the deployment of dual-use rendezvous spacecraft by the United States, China, Russia and other countries is effectively transforming space into a weaponized domain.

Additionally, while launch expenses have been a significant factor in the cost of establishing a missile defense system in space, Swope and Karako’s recent SpaceNews op-ed notes that the cost of launching into low Earth orbit has dropped significantly, from $30,000 per kilogram in 1989 to $1,500 per kilogram in 2018, with projections suggesting it could fall to around $500 per kilogram in the near future.’

In the FT, Oliver Hawkins and Peggy Hollinger report that private companies are racing to claim the Moon’s airwaves:

‘Private companies are staking claims to radio spectrum on the Moon with the aim of exploiting an emerging lunar economy, Financial Times research has found.

More than 50 applications have been filed with the International Telecommunication Union since 2010 to use spectrum, the invisible highway of electromagnetic waves that enable all wireless technology, on or from the Moon.

Last year the number of commercial filings to the global co-ordinating body for lunar spectrum outstripped those from space agencies and governments for the first time, according to FT research. The filings cover satellite systems as well as missions to land on the lunar surface.’

And Sky News reports that a British astronaut has been cleared to become first disabled person to join a space station mission:

‘A British astronaut has been cleared to become the first person with a physical disability to take part in a mission on the International Space Station, the European Space Agency (ESA) has said.

John McFall, a former paralympian sprinter from Cardiff, has been medically certified to undertake a long-duration space mission, the agency said at a news conference on Friday.

Mr McFall told Sky News' science and medical correspondent Thomas Moore: "It's great to have completed the feasibility study and demonstrated there is no technical showstopper for me flying to the International Space Station."

He went on to say "today's announcement is not just about me personally getting medically certified to to fly long-duration missions".’