ESA opens call to repurpose Gateway communications module
JOHANNESBURG - The European Space Agency is moving ahead with plans to examine the feasibility of repurposing Lunar Link, a communications system developed for NASA's now-paused Gateway space station, as a dedicated lunar communications asset.
ESA issued an invitation to tender July 27 for studies examining the feasibility of the proposed Lunar Link repurposing mission. The agency plans to award up to two parallel firm-fixed-price contracts, each worth up to 3 million euros ($3.4 million).
The call follows a decision by ESA member states at the agency's 347th Council meeting on June 16 and 17 to assess whether Lunar Link could be repurposed as a standalone communications satellite in cislunar space following NASA's decision in March to pause the deployment of Gateway. The studies will examine whether the system could complement and serve as a precursor to the agency's Moonlight program, a planned constellation that will provide communications and navigation services for lunar missions.
Instead of developing a bespoke platform for the mission, the studies will prioritize the use of an existing satellite platform that is already qualified or requires minimal modification to host the Lunar Link hardware. Contractors will also examine whether the spacecraft could carry one or more "payloads of opportunity" as a secondary objective.
ESA describes the planned work as fast-track Phase A/B1 studies lasting no more than 12 months. During Phase A, contractors will examine potential lunar orbits and spacecraft configurations before a Preliminary Concept Review about four months after kickoff. Subject to ESA approval, contractors will then move into Phase B1, refining the selected concept ahead of an Intermediate System Requirements Review and a final presentation around 11 months later.
Thales Alenia Space France (TAS-FR), which developed Lunar Link, will serve as a mandatory subcontractor, with ESA recommending that at least 750,000 euros of each contract be reserved for its work. ESA awarded that firm a 296 million euro contract in 2021 to develop both Lunar Link and Lunar View, a combined communications and refueling contribution to Gateway. The agency has not given a breakdown of how much of that contract was allocated to each element.
The flight hardware for Lunar Link is already at an advanced stage of development. A Thales Alenia Space spokesperson told SpaceNews that the complete payload, including all flight equipment, has now been integrated and has successfully completed functional and environmental testing. A final antenna deployment test is still to come.
Thales expects qualification of Lunar Link to be completed by the end of the year, with the first part of its Qualification and Acceptance Review scheduled to begin in the third quarter and the process expected to be completed before the end of the year.
In addition to examining how Lunar Link could be repurposed, contractors will be required to outline development schedules and cost estimates for subsequent phases. While the call does not provide a deadline for awarding a follow-on contract, it requires the proposed development schedule to support a launch in the fourth quarter of 2029.
Although Lunar Link now has a clear path toward potential reuse before the end of the decade, the future of ESA's other major Gateway contributions is less clear.
Speaking during a press conference following the agency's 347th Council meeting in June, Daniel Neuenschwander, ESA's director of human and robotic exploration, said work on the Lunar I-Hab habitation module would continue until its critical design review, after which ESA will assess options for repurposing it. For Lunar View, the agency plans to slow the pace of development while retaining key technologies needed for future deep-space exploration, including refueling.
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