ESA's Moonlight Program Aims To Establish Lunar Communication, Navigation

The Moonlight programme will consist of five satellites one for high-data-rate communications and four for navigation.

The European Space Agency (ESA) has launched its ambitious Moonlight programme, aiming to create a dedicated satellite constellation for telecommunication and navigation services on the Moon. This initiative seeks to make essential services like satellite navigation, video conferencing and data sharing as seamless on the lunar surface as they are on Earth. 

The Moonlight Lunar Communications and Navigation Services (LCNS) programme is a collaboration between ESA and a consortium led by space systems developer Telespazio, with support from the UK and Italian space agencies. The project aims to enable precise lunar landings, facilitate surface mobility, and establish a high-speed, low-latency communication network between Earth and the Moon. This infrastructure will be crucial for humanity's long-term presence on the Moon and will significantly reduce operational costs for future missions.

The Moonlight constellation will consist of five satellites – one for high-data-rate communications and four for navigation. These satellites will be deployed in a network spanning 4,00,000 km, connecting the Moon to Earth through three ground stations. The primary focus of this network will be the lunar south pole, a region of particular interest due to its potential resources like polar ice, which could be used for water, oxygen and rocket fuel.