Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

Notional design of Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway.
Credit: Lockheed Martin

A European Space Agency (ESA) Council meeting held in Paris on June 13, 2018 has approved steps that could see Europe become a major player in the proposed “Lunar gateway” – a concept that extends the presence of humans one thousand times farther into space compared with today.

Concept of view from a deep space habitat.
Credit: ESA

The lunar gateway was one of a number of discussion points within a European Exploration Envelope Program known as E3P.

Balanced investment

The June Council meeting included shaping an exploration mission framework for the future of E3P. The framework foresees a balanced investment between ESA’s three exploration destinations — low Earth orbit, the Moon and Mars — and between human infrastructures, transportation and robotic missions.

According to an ESA statement: “The Council was informed that studies and technology developments are under way including enhancements of the European Service Module for NASA’s Orion spacecraft to support visiting astronauts as well as modules for the gateway itself.”

Credit: NASA

Call for ideas

ESA held a Call for Ideas for use of the gateway in 2017, generating 100 ideas from the European science and technology community in areas as diverse as human physiology, Solar System science and lunar exploration.

These preparations are prelude to possible decisions to be taken at the next ESA Ministerial Council in 2019.

NASA also held a three-day workshop from February 27-March 1, 2018 in Denver, Colorado that solicited ideas on use of the gateway to facilitate science duties and other tasks.