Madrid .- NASA's new plans, which involve establishing a permanent base on the Moon and putting the future Gateway orbital station on hold, have a direct impact on Europe and introduce "concern and uncertainty", at least in the short term. Countries and industry have already sat down to evaluate the new scenario.
And the fact is that the reformed roadmap recently presented by the United States, although it also presents opportunities, forces Europe to readjust programs and priorities, and possibly renegotiate the presence of European astronauts in future lunar missions.
Therefore, the European Space Agency (ESA), whose contribution to the éxito de la reciente misión Artemis 2 a la Luna has been key, is maintaining close consultations with its member states, international partners and industry to assess the implications of the announcement, EFE sources indicate from the ESA who, for the moment, do not want to make any further comments.
On March 24th, NASA administrator Jared Isaacman referred to a phased lunar deployment strategy that will be the most ambitious in history since the Apollo program (1961-1972) and will cost at least 20 billion dollars over the next seven years.
As part of that plan, which includes establishing a sustained lunar presence, the American space agency intends to pause the Gateway project in its current form and refocus its efforts on an infrastructure that allows for continuous operations on the surface.
It's also an opportunity
For Jorge Potti, president of the Space Commission of the Spanish Association of Technology Companies of Defense, Security, Aeronautics and Space (Tedae), the new plans have a direct impact on Europe, because the Artemis lunar exploration program had been built on a very defined international architecture in which Gateway was a central element for the participation of partners such as ESA.
The shift alters that framework. Europe had structured a good part of its contribution -and of the expected return, including access to manned flights- around that project, which is now under review.
Gateway was not just an orbital station, but the mechanism that structured the European contribution, with key elements such as the I-Hab and ESPRIT modules, and on which the negotiation of access to manned missions was based.
"This introduces short-term uncertainty, both at an industrial and strategic level, and forces the readjustment of programs, investments and priorities," Potti tells EFE, for whom, however, it also opens up opportunities.
"If the focus shifts to the surface, Europe can reposition itself in areas where it also has strong capabilities, such as habitats, robotics, logistics or resource utilization," comments the expert.
In any case, "this change reinforces a reality: European participation depends to a large extent on external decisions. Therefore, it highlights the need to combine short-term flexibility with greater strategic autonomy in the medium term."
Is what was done lost?
The president of Tedae's Space Commission explains that many developments associated with Gateway - such as habitable modules, life support, refueling, or communications - have been designed modularly, which facilitates their adaptation.
That reuse is not automatic, he points out. It involves additional costs, redesigns and possible delays, and depends on strategic decisions about the future architecture of the program. At the moment, the industry is precisely in the analysis phase to determine what can be reused and how.
«In any case, we are not starting from scratch: there is already a very valuable technological base», says Potti, who also states that the Spanish industry - involved in several contracts - has extensive experience in multiple disciplines and these skills are highly transferable.
The ESA has invested hundreds of millions of euros in these developments, as have the companies, which have committed significant resources. Changes of this type, although not unusual in programs of this magnitude, do generate short-term uncertainty, Potti emphasizes.
Companies and industry players are in continuous contact with ESA, which acts as the main interlocutor in Europe. "The agency is analyzing the impact and working with its partners to adapt European contributions to the new context."
"It's a moment of transition that combines real concern with opportunities, and that demands rapid adaptation and coordination in order not to lose positioning in the future lunar economy."
When consulted by EFE, Thales Alenia Space indicates that it is still too early to comment. "Our company - they defend - is recognized for its experience in lunar exploration." Airbus has preferred not to comment.
Will there be a European astronaut on the Moon?
Regarding the presence of European astronauts on the Moon - Spanish astronaut Pablo Álvarez is on the official ESA team - the latest changes introduce real uncertainty, says Potti.
Most of the flight options were tied to contributions to Gateway, so that framework will now have to be renegotiated.
This does not mean -add- that the presence of European astronauts on the satellite is ruled out, but it does mean that it is no longer implicitly guaranteed. ESA will have to redefine with NASA how its contributions translate into access to surface missions.
Spanish
