The announcement was confirmed on Thursday 20 November at ESA’s European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany, at a signing ceremony with Daniel Neuenschwander, director of human and robotic exploration of ESA, Robert Selby, vice-president of Nammo Space, Giampiero di Paolo, deputy CEO of Thales Alenia Space Italy, Chiara Pedersoli, CEO of OHB System AG, Yvan Baillion, director of European business at Thales Alenia Space and Richard Thorburn, CEO of Thales Alenia Space UK.
Nammo’s bi-propellant engine, named RELIANCE, with a thrust capability of 6kN, will support Europe’s first ever lunar lander mission as part the Nasa Artemis programme planned for 2031.
Nammo designs, tests and manufactures spacecraft and launcher propulsion technology.
“We’re proud to contribute propulsion technology to the Argonaut mission and play a pivotal role in landing Europe on the Moon for the first time,” says Selby.
Dr Paul Bate, CEO of the UK Space Agency, said: “The innovative system could also support a wide range of further missions.”
ESA’s Argonaut Lunar Lander supports Nasa’s Artemis programme with plans to re-establish a human presence on the Moon for the first time since the Apollo mission in 1972.
Argonaut will play a key role in lunar exploration and transport a variety of cargo, including vital resources for astronauts such as food, water, science instruments and infrastructures for communications and power generation.
RELIANCE features a large range throttleable design using a pintle injector, drawing inspiration from the original Apollo programme. This feature, combined with the integrated engine controller, offers enhanced mission control needed for precision during landings. It also utilises hypergolic propellants and draws on Nammo’s heritage in the LEROS engine range.
