Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Moonlight: ESA program to create a satellite constellation in lunar orbit for advanced communications and navigation services
Telespazio and Thales Alenia Space will design and develop the Navigation System and satellite navigation infrastructure
Telespazio is prime contractor for the Moonlight Program, having previously signed a EUR 123 million contract with ESA to implement the design phase of the infrastructure
Cannes, March 12th, 2025 - Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), has signed a contract with Telespazio, a joint venture between Leonardo (67%) and Thales (33%), to design and develop the space segment of the Navigation System and satellite navigation infrastructure for ESA's Moonlight Lunar Communications and Navigation Services (LCNS) program.
Moonlight is an ESA program led by Telespazio to create a satellite constellation orbiting the Moon and designed to provide advanced communication and navigation services.
The program will allow precise and autonomous moon landings as well as surface mobility, while facilitating high-speed, low-latency communication and data transfer between Earth and the Moon. This infrastructure is paramount to mankinds long-term return and presence on the Moon, also improving efficiency and significantly reducing operational and usage costs.
On October 15, 2024, Telespazio signed a contract with ESA to guide and develop the LCNS program. This project involves an industrial consortium of specialized companies, with Telespazio serving as the prime contractor and responsible for the overall system. Within the framework of the consortium, Thales Alenia Space is responsible for the design and development of the LCNS Navigation System and of the satellite navigation infrastructure.
4 lunar elliptical orbit navigation satellites - Moonlight Thales Alenia Space/Briot
Specifically, in collaboration with a network of Italian and international companies and universities, Thales Alenia Space will be responsible for the design, development and deployment of four lunar elliptical orbit navigation satellites. Additionally, the company will develop key elements of the Earth mission segment and oversee the complete testing and validation of the first satellite navigation system orbiting the Moon.
We are extremely proud to be key pillar in Moonlight program, providing the navigation system and infrastructure that will orbit around the Moon said Giampiero Di Paolo, Deputy CEO and Senior Vice President, Observation, Exploration and Navigation at Thales Alenia Space. The partnership with Telespazio, in line with the Space Alliance's objectives, will ensure the development of a complete turnkey solution for the European Space Agency. Thales Alenia Space is the ideal partner for such an ambitious program leveraging both the expertise developed in Satellite Navigation systems and infrastructures as illustrated through major projects such as Galileo, and leveraging the experience acquired in the field of Space Exploration and orbital infrastructures .
This contract represents another step forward in the solid collaboration between Telespazio and Thales Alenia Space within the Space Alliance, confirming the strategic value of this partnership in the field of space infrastructure, said Gabriele Pieralli, CEO of Telespazio. Together, we are providing ESA with a complete and innovative solution for lunar navigation, combining Telespazio's expertise in managing and integrating large-scale space programs with the engineering excellence of Thales Alenia Space. The Moonlight program, confirming Italy's leadership in space exploration, is a unique opportunity to strengthen Europe's role in space exploration and enable future lunar missions with advanced and reliable technologies.
ABOUT THALES ALENIA SPACE
Drawing on over 40 years of experience and a unique combination of skills, expertise and cultures, Thales Alenia Space delivers cost-effective solutions for telecommunications, navigation, Earth observation, environmental management, exploration, science and orbital infrastructures. Governments and private industry alike count on Thales Alenia Space to design satellite-based systems that provide anytime, anywhere connections and positioning, monitor our planet, enhance management of its resources, and explore our Solar System and beyond. Thales Alenia Space sees space as a new horizon, helping to build a better, more sustainable life on Earth. A joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), Thales Alenia Space also teams up with Telespazio to form the parent companies' Space Alliance, which offers a complete range of services. Thales Alenia Space posted consolidated revenues of approximately 2.2 billion in 2023 and has around 8,600 employees in 8, countries with 16 sites in Europe. www.thalesaleniaspace.com
ABOUT TELESPAZIO
Telespazio, a joint venture between Leonardo (67%) and Thales (33%), is one of the worlds leading operators in space services: from the design and development of space systems to the management of satellite launch and in-orbit control services; from Earth observation, integrated communications, satellite navigation, and positioning services to scientific programs. The company plays a key role in its reference markets, leveraging over 60 years of technological expertise, infrastructure, and participation in space programs such as Galileo, EGNOS, Copernicus, COSMO-SkyMed, and Moonlight. Telespazio, together with Thales Alenia Space, forms the Space Alliance and generated a revenue of 700 million in 2023, with 3,300 employees in fifteen countries. www.telespazio.com
26 Mar 2025
The ImaSpiiR-X consortium receives support from France 2030 to improve the management of cancer and cardiovascular diseases through medical imaging
Read more
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
06/12/2025
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. A new survey from Pixitmedia by Datacore revealed a major shift in the Media & Entertainment industry in media archiving, with 85% of resp...
06/12/2025
HACKENSACK, N.J. LiveU has announced that the national public broadcaster Czech Television has completed one of the largest LiveU live production deployments fo...
06/12/2025
NEW YORK The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) presented the Excellence in Production Technology Emmy Award to NASA+ and Dr. Tom Leight...
05/12/2025
2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nati...
05/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Veritone's Sean King on the Power of Mining Video, Audio DataThe company's Data Refinery offers users total control and governance over da...
05/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: Inside the Nashville Predators' Unified, Flexible, Sca...
05/12/2025
Netflix Reaches Agreement To Acquire Warner Bros. Following Planned WBD SplitThe deal does not include WBDs sports assets like TNT Sports (US, UK, LatAm), Euros...
05/12/2025
FOX Sports Returns to Indianapolis for Primetime Broadcast of Big Ten Championsh...
05/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Digital Engagement & Monetization Workshop Tackles the ...
05/12/2025
Atlanta United Lights Up New Emory Healthcare Studio With First Live Broadcast f...
05/12/2025
As Messi Takes the Pitch, MLS, Apple, NEP Roll Out Largest MLS Cup Production Ev...
05/12/2025
ESPN Enters College Football's Most Intense Month With Elevated Workflows fo...
05/12/2025
It's about that time! Awards season is in full swing, and the Film Independe...
05/12/2025
Every year, Spotify Wrapped offers a personalized look back at the audio that defined your year. It's a snapshot of your listening habits, designed to tell ...
05/12/2025
In 2025, Spotify's EQUAL, GLOW, and RADAR programs celebrated women, LGBTQIA , and emerging artists who turned moments into milestones. From breaking record...
05/12/2025
In our latest blog, we explain how Wi-Fi 7 rollouts can drive consumer loyalty with value-add services such as consumer cybersecurity. We also explore how this ...
05/12/2025
LOS ANGELES Netflix announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Nielsens Gracenote has launched Gracenote Content Connect, a new ad platform that provides agencies, brands, supply-side platforms (SSPs) and demand-si...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK In an most important update to the workings of deal-based programmatic advertising, IAB Tech Lab has released version 1.0 of its Deals API for public c...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Pass the turkey. Pass the stuffing. Pass the cranberry sauce. All are common requests of Americans celebrating Thanksgiving Day with family and f...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. Netflix announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has approved AT&T's $1.02 billion acquisition of spectrum from UScellular in a decision that was issued sho...
05/12/2025
The Best Coldplay Songs: 21 Tracks That Shoot for the Stars From Yellow to Viva La Vida, Fix You to Paradise, this playlist goes back to the start.
December ...
05/12/2025
Zafris Lecture Series Brings Nabil Ayers to Berklee The 32nd annual James G. Zafris Distinguished Lecture series was held on Thursday, November 13, with guest...
05/12/2025
Friday 5 December 2025
A new Game of Thrones Tale: Official trailer for Sky Exc...
05/12/2025
Back to All News
Don Lee, Lee Jin-uk, and Lalisa Manobal to Star in Netflix Act...
05/12/2025
Tis the season of giving once again and this year we've taken our Give Back Fridays' concept and turned it on its head.
In the autumn we were approach...
05/12/2025
Brayden Gogis doesn't remember a time when he wasn't completely fixated on games in all forms. In preschool, when they asked us to dress up as what we ...
05/12/2025
The Grinch steals the spotlight as the theme for The Late Late Toy Show 2025
Tune in tonight at 9:35pm on RT One and worldwide on RT Player
#LateLateToyShow...
05/12/2025
RT Announces New Presenters of Flagship News Programmes
New RT Six One News co-presenter Tommy Meskill
Sarah McInerney & Justin McCarthy join Morning Ir...
04/12/2025
ToolsOnAir Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Event Presets for just:in mac pro 2025 & ...
04/12/2025
ToolsOnAir AJA Ki Pro Event Presets for just:in mac pro 2025 & just:in linux
More Details:Starting with version 5.5, both just:in mac pro and just:in linux sol...
04/12/2025
Wangu Kanuri from Kenya and Godwin Asediba from Ghana are two of this years finalists for Thomsons Young Journalist of the Year Award. The pair are runners-up i...
04/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: ProximaVision's Claudio Lisman on Why Tethered Drones Could Be...
04/12/2025
SVG Campus Shot Callers: Imry Halevi, Senior Associate Director of Athletics, Co...
04/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: LiveU Lightweight Sports Production: A Step Change in Spor...
04/12/2025
London to Riyadh: DAZN brings the boxing glamour to new production levels for Be...
04/12/2025
Analysis: Paramount bets on the battering ram' with Champions League play By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 - 10:12
Print ...
04/12/2025
Space City Home Network Launches SCHN DTC App for Astros and RocketsThe Rockets and Astros were previously the lone NBA and MLB teams without a DTC appBy Jason...
04/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Content Workflows Workshop Spotlights Evolution of Spor...
04/12/2025
New Sponsor Spotlight: Geotech's Patrick Wambold On the Unreal Engine Revolu...
04/12/2025
Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nationally and RegionallyBy Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.
Thursday, December 4, 2025 - 1:52 pm
Print This Sto...
04/12/2025
(L-R) Rebecca Lichtenfeld, Mohammadreza Eyni, Sara Khaki, and Judith Helfand att...
04/12/2025
SBS launches Future Frames initiative to support emerging First Nations video ed...
04/12/2025
Coronal mass ejections caused by eruptions on the surface of the sun can have fa...
04/12/2025
Gracenote Content Connect enables media ecosystem to precisely align ad campaigns and programming based on rich content signals
NEW YORK - December 4, 2025 - N...
Facebook 
