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Thales Alenia Space Forms Core Consortium for ESA’s Argonaut Lander
New contracts define system integration, propulsion, data handling, and GNC responsibilities for the Lunar Descent Element to support Europe’s future Moon missions.
www.thalesaleniaspace.com
Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), has signed multiple contracts to shape the core industrial team that will build the European Space Agency's (ESA) Argonaut Lunar Descent Element. ESA’s Argonaut Mission, planned for launch from the 2030s, will deliver cargo, infrastructure and scientific instruments to the Moon’s surface.
These contracts follow the one already signed between ESA and Thales Alenia Space in January 2025. It referred to the design, development and delivery of the Lunar Descent Element (LDE), including responsibility for mission design and integration.
As the prime contractor and system integrator of the LDE, Thales Alenia Space in Italy leads the industrial consortium responsible for the system, including the entry, descent, and landing aspects, as well as the general and specific architectures of the thermomechanical, avionics, and software chains.
The core industrial team is made up of Thales Alenia Space in Italy, Thales Alenia Space in France, Thales Alenia Space in the UK, as well as OHB System AG and Nammo, part of the consortium as a strategic subcontractor for the propulsion.
“Thales Alenia Space has supplied a significant portion of the International Space Station’s pressurized volume and is playing a major role in the Artemis program, manufacturing key elements of Orion’s European Service Module and leading flagship transportation initiatives. This once again confirms that our company is a major player at the forefront of space exploration and transportation systems,” Thales Alenia Space President and CEO Hervé Derrey added.
The consortium at a glance
- Thales Alenia Space in Italy: prime contractor and end-to-end system integrator, including architecture definition, final verification and validation, as well as assembly integration and testing.
- Thales Alenia Space in France: responsible for the design, development, and validation of the Data Handling Sub-System, including Middleware software, as well as the procurement of its component equipment, including On-Board Computers.
- Thales Alenia Space in the UK: responsible for the Propulsion subsystem development and for the procurement of main components, in particular Propellant tanks and Thruster.
- OHB System AG: responsible for guidance, navigation and control (GNC), electrical power systems (EPS) and telecommunications (TT&C) subsystem, as well as procurement of its component equipment (Solar array, batteries, LIDAR, a series of transponders).
- Nammo (Nordic Ammunition Company): responsible for the design and procurement of the Main Engine, critical assets, not only for the propulsion subsystem but also for the entire Argonaut LDE end item.
