ESA officially commenced the Moonlight programme with a contract signing ceremony at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Milan. The ceremony was attended by Laurent Jaffart, ESA Director of Connectivity and Secure Communications; Javier Benedicto, ESA Director of Navigation; Daniel Neuenschwander, ESA Director of Human and Robotic Exploration; and Gabriele Pieralli, Chief Executive Officer of Telespazio.  

“ESA is taking the crucial step in supporting the future commercial lunar market, as well as ongoing and future lunar missions. We are extremely proud to be working with industry and Member States to ensure that our technological capabilities can support and foster cooperation on the Moon with our international partners,” said Josef Aschbacher, ESA Director General.

"This year saw the first commercial soft landing on the moon, and we expect there to be hundreds of new lunar missions launching over the next decade alone. With these missions will come increased demand for communications and navigation services which can be provided by commercial entities,” said Dr Paul Bate, Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency. “The growth of a commercial lunar economy can bring real benefits back to Earth and, as one of the two leading international investors in Moonlight alongside Italy, the UK is a strong supporter of the programme. We will work closely with ESA, Telespazio, SSTL and a range of other British companies to develop and deliver innovative commercial lunar services that serve institutional and private sector customers alike."

"The launch of the Moonlight program is a cornerstone of Europe's role in future lunar activities, as its telecommunications and navigation infrastructure will pave the way for future exploration missions and the growth of a lunar economy. Italy is proudly at the forefront of this endeavour, leveraging its industrial excellence and with the strong support from ASI, and is committed to playing a major role in establishing a sustainable presence on the Moon, in cooperation with our international partners,” said Teodoro Valente, President of the Italian Space Agency.

“Leading a prestigious pan-European team, Telespazio is committed to creating the conditions for a stable and secure presence on the Moon while simultaneously opening up extraordinary commercial opportunities for Europe in cis-lunar space,” said Gabriele Pieralli, CEO of Telespazio. “We are proud to play a crucial role in a program that will not only represent a key milestone in current and future space challenges but will also be a fundamental element in promoting synergies between ESA and other international space agencies."  

The Moonlight programme represents an ESA multi-directorate initiative, led by Connectivity and Secure Communications (CSC) with support from Navigation (NAV) and Human and Robotic Exploration (HRE), alongside industrial and institutional partners .