ESA, ispace sign €65m lunar polar ice rover contract

(SpaceEnergy) ESA and ispace-Europe have formally signed a €65 million contract to deliver the MAGPIE lunar rover, which will prospect for water ice and other volatiles near the Moon’s south pole.

The Phase 2 agreement covers rover and payload development, manufacture, testing, transportation to the lunar surface, mission operations and delivery of scientific data to the European Space Agency. ESA selected Luxembourg-based ispace-Europe as prime contractor.

MAGPIE — the Mission for Advanced Geophysics and Polar Ice Exploration — is planned to launch in 2029 aboard ispace’s Mission 4 lunar lander under cooperation between ESA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

Designed to operate for about 10 Earth days, the rover will carry a drill, volatile analyser, ground-penetrating radar and neutron detector to investigate subsurface geology and the distribution of water and other volatiles.

“By prospecting for water and other volatile resources, MAGPIE will provide critical knowledge for the next phase of sustainable lunar exploration,” ESA Director of Human and Robotic Exploration Daniel Neuenschwander said.

ispace said the next development milestones include a structural thermal model readiness review followed by locomotion testing of rover mobility performance.