ESA's Moon Explore open call and MAGPIE's 2029 launch date

MAGPIE is taking shape with a launch date in 2029. ESA's Moon Explore effort began with an open call for affordable lunar mission concepts and drew more than 60 ideas from across Europe. Europe is preparing for astronauts, robots and science instruments on and around the Moon.

Europe is preparing for astronauts, robots and science instruments on and around the Moon. Smaller missions can move more quickly, try new ideas and give essential support to larger missions.

ESA's small missions initiative was renamed Moon Explore. It began with an open request for affordable lunar mission concepts with scientific or exploration value, attracting more than 60 ideas from across Europe.

The approach accepts a higher level of risk in return for lower cost and faster development. It aims to provide valuable results within a few years and help European teams build new capabilities.

MAGPIE is being developed by ispace-Europe and is taking shape. Its launch date is 2029, and it is described as the first European rover to explore the Moon.

MAGPIE would operate near the lunar south pole for around 10 days and search for water and other volatile resources. Its payload includes a drill, neutron detector, volatile analyser and ground-penetrating radar, and the instruments should help scientists learn where lunar resources are, how they formed and how to detect them better.

Máni is a lunar orbiter led by the University of Copenhagen. It would photograph chosen regions from several angles and make highly detailed maps of the Moon's topography and surface reflectivity. Those maps could help identify small-scale hazards for landing-site assessments and route planning.

Moonraker is an orbital mission proposed by NUVIEW. It would use LiDAR laser measurements to make detailed three-dimensional maps of the lunar poles, which could allow investigation of permanently shadowed regions.

MoonRAD is a planned lunar orbiter led by Remred. It would monitor radiation, energetic particles and plasma near the Moon for several years, improving space-weather models and helping protect astronauts, spacecraft electronics and lunar infrastructure from hazards.

The described missions address practical needs for lunar activity: MAGPIE would look for water and other volatile resources near the lunar south pole, Máni could map small-scale hazards, and MoonRAD would monitor radiation.

Europe is preparing for astronauts, robots and science instruments on and around the Moon, and smaller missions can move more quickly, test new ideas and support larger missions. Moon Explore is also described as helping lay the groundwork for a sustained European presence on and around the Moon.

MAGPIE has a launch date of 2029.