The bold European campaign 'Explore 2040' aims to get astronauts to the moon and Mars

The European Space Agency (ESA) is charting a bold course for the future, aiming to strengthen Europe’s position in space exploration through the ‘Explore 2040’ initiative.

Josef Aschbacher, Director General of ESAstressed the need for Europe to expand its space activities during a lecture on October 16 at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) 2024 in Milan. The agency is now working on a strategy to determine its future. An important pillar of this is exploration.

“We have a process with our Member States called Explore 2040, which is a perspective on the 2040 horizon and where Europe can go,” said Daniel Neuenschwander, director of human and robotic exploration at ESA, in Milan.

“What we really want to do is increase the pace and increase the way we deliver programs,” Neuenschwander said. That includes accelerating innovation and developing transportation and infrastructure for exploration, he added.

Neuenschwander made plans for a presence in low Earth orbit (LEO), before heading to the moon and beyond.

‘We want to show Europeans around the moon and on the surface of the moon… And then, of course, the purpose of the horizon is to take people there Mars‘, says Neuenschwander.

At the heart of “Explore 2040” is the upcoming Council of Ministers meeting in 2025, where Member States will set the future course for Europe in the field of room. These important summits take place every three years to decide the level of commitment of ESA Member States and to which programs they will commit. Support is essential for Explore 2040.

The plan for LEO includes securing a post-International Space Station (ISS), which includes a LEO payload program that, by developing return capabilities, could pave the way for full European human spaceflight capabilities.

Speaking in Milan, ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti stated that initial objectives include demonstrating end-to-end cargo delivery and return services to the ISS.

Diagram showing some of Europe's planned exploration activities over the next ten years, as presented at the International Astronautical Congress in Milan in October 2024.

Diagram showing some of Europe’s planned exploration activities over the next ten years, as presented at the International Astronautical Congress in Milan in October 2024. (Image credit: Andrew Jones/Space.com)

For the moon, Europe already supplies the European Service Module as part of NASA Orion spacecraftmeaning ESA will already be flying to the moon in some form. The next phase, however, is the landing options.

ESA is developing for this purpose Argonauta class of landers for carrying cargo on the moon, designed in collaboration with Airbus.

According to ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst, the logistics lander will be crucial in enabling international cooperation and sustainable lunar operations.

“Argonaut fills the gap of how we approach landing on the moon and then being able to operate on the surface, thanks to the 1.7 tons of cargo (it can carry),” Gerst said.

For the road to Mars, ESA plans to continue with the LightShip program to establish a communications and navigation network around Mars. Lightship is an electric propulsion tug that will deliver one or more passenger spacecraft to Mars, provide communications and navigation services and be able to carry a range of scientific payloads, according to ESA.

European Space Agency astronauts Luca Parmitano (right), Alexander Gerst (center) and Samantha Cristoforetti (right) discuss Europe's plans for lunar exploration at the International Astronautical Congress in Milan in October 2024.

European Space Agency astronauts Luca Parmitano (right), Alexander Gerst (center) and Samantha Cristoforetti (right) discuss Europe’s plans for lunar exploration at the International Astronautical Congress in Milan in October 2024. (Image credit: Andrew Jones/Space.com)

These ambitions indicate how ESA is positioning itself to allow the agency to play an important role in future explorations.

In addition to these commitments, ESA is in the process of initiating them Moonlight program to provide navigation and communications services around the moon. It will carry out several small lunar missions depending on the outcome of the 2025 ministerial summit. For Mars, it is determined to launch the much-delayed launch Rosalind Franklin Robber and providing the Earth return orbiter for the Mars Sample Return Mission of NASA.

For consideration at the next crucial cabinet meeting in 2028, lunar exploration and sampling missions, possibly a remote lunar camp, and lunar exploration missions will be conducted. Port cargo return, as well as a possible evolution of the Argonaut lander. A new phase of post-ISS infrastructure development will also be discussed.

ESA’s plans for Explore 2040 are not yet final. It is one aspect of a broader ESA strategy that is under discussion.

“We discussed the ESA Strategy 2040, a document that is currently being prepared,” Aschbacher told reporters during a press conference on October 24, discussing ESA’s 329th ministerial meeting.

“So we have a draft of the document that was presented to the delegations. It was very much appreciated. We are not yet at the final version. The final version is expected to be ready in December.”

ESA’s vision for 2040 depends not only on innovative projects, but also on the continued support of its 22 Member States to turn plans into reality.