The European Space Agency (ESA) is pleased to invite you to the 3rd European Lunar Surface Workshop (ELSW). This event brings together colleagues from across Europe’s lunar community to exchange updates, discuss current needs, and strengthen collaboration between academia and industry.

Background

The European Space Agency (ESA) lunar lander programme, Argonaut, represents Europe’s autonomous, versatile, and reliable access to the Moon. From the 2030s onward, Argonaut landers will be launched on four‑booster Ariane 6 rockets to deliver cargo to the lunar surface, supporting both robotic and crewed missions.

To enable the selection of safe landing sites for Argonaut and similar lunar missions, ESA is coordinating the development of the necessary tools and capabilities to model, analyse, and visualise the lunar surface.

The first two ELSWs were held online in June 2022 and March 2023. Following the second workshop, ESA invited industry and academia across Europe to submit proposals for lunar surface software development through a dedicated campaign on ESA’s Open Space Innovation Platform (OSIP). After evaluating more than 40 proposals, the five best projects were selected for implementation.

At this workshop, the project teams will present their work and its benefits for the community. In addition, the agenda includes a panel discussion on the accuracy of lunar topography models and opportunities for pitch presentations.