Europe's plans to develop a robotic lunar lander are moving ahead with the announcement of an Italy-led consortium that will build a key element of the spacecraft designed to secure European access to the moon.
The consortium will develop the Argonaut Lunar Descent Element (LDE), one of three main components that will make up Argonaut. The first mission for Argonaut is scheduled for launch in 2030 atop a European Ariane 64 rocket, with the European Space Agency (ESA) stating that the lander will play a key role in international lunar exploration through supporting the NASA-led Artemis program.
