The European Space Agency and NASA on Wednesday talked up the prospect of putting the first European on the moon, as they signed a deal strengthening collaboration for future lunar exploration.

The space agencies had already agreed that three European astronauts would fly on the Orion spacecraft to NASA's Gateway, a space station that will orbit the moon as part of the Artemis program.

Now it seems one of those astronauts will go a step further.

"We look forward to having an ESA astronaut join us on the surface of the moon and continuing to build on our longstanding, critical partnership," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said after attending an ESA council meeting in the Netherlands.

"NASA is counting on cooperation with ESA to propel exploration of the moon through the Artemis program," Nelson said in a statement, adding that "the European Service Module is the powerhouse of the Orion spacecraft".

The agencies also signed a deal on the Lunar Pathfinder, a planned communications satellite being built by British firm SSTL.

From Frankfurt and New York to Istanbul and Beijing, skygazers could enjoy a beautiful supermoon rise over the horizon in an impressive astronomic spectacle.

The full moon appeared bigger than normal and sometimes slightly orange-colored as it lit skies around the globe.

It reached its full stage on Tuesday during a phenomenon known as a supermoon because of its proximity to Earth. It's also referred to as the "Strawberry Moon" because it's the full moon at strawberry harvest time.

In Frankfurt, it rose behind the German city's banking district's skyline, while in Beijing the forbidden city's roof decorations depicting sacred beasts were silhouetted in sharp black by the moon.

The moon also illuminated New York City's Statue of Liberty and shone on the pillars of the ancient temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion south of Athens, Greece.