Countdown started for Artemis II, while the Italy-Nasa axis on the Moon consolidates.
There is great anticipation for the launch of Artemis II, the first crewed flight to the Moon in over five decades, after the last Apollo mission in 1972, scheduled for today, April 1, at 6:24 PM local time (12:24 AM on April 2 in Italy). On the eve of this second mission of NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to lunar soil, the Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy and Government Delegate for Space and Aerospace Policies, Adolfo Urso, signed in Washington with NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman a Statement of Intent on cooperation for the lunar surface.
The agreement provides for Italian companies to build the habitat modules intended to enable a safe and prolonged presence of astronauts on lunar soil. The agreement also includes the understanding of the presence of an Italian on one of the upcoming Artemis missions.
The news of the Italian-American agreement comes a week after NASA’s unexpected decision to suspend the Gateway space station project in lunar orbit to focus resources on building a base on the lunar surface. The announcement sparked reactions and assessments from the European Space Agency (ESA), which actively participates in the Gateway project (including our country).
While the recent Sigonella case has sparked debate on the resilience of transatlantic relations in the aeronautical sector, the aerospace front sees the axis between Rome and Washington strengthening for the Moon.
All the details.
ITALY-NASA AGREEMENT FOR THE LUNAR HABITAT MODULE
The agreement between Italy and the United States marks a new step in bilateral space cooperation, with the signing of a Statement of Intent dedicated to the development of infrastructure for human presence on the Moon. The ceremony was also attended by the president of the Italian Space Agency (ASI), Teodoro Valente.
In particular, explains the MIMIT statement, the agreement is part of the Artemis space program. Specifically, it aims at developing a sustainable lunar base led by the United States, with Italy playing a central role as a technological partner.
THE ROLE OF THE ITALIAN INDUSTRY
“It is an important recognition for Italy and for our companies, which will be called upon to build the habitat modules intended to enable a safe and prolonged presence of astronauts on the Moon. The astronauts’ ‘home’ will be ‘Made in Italy,’ built with Italian technologies and by Italian companies.” “We are also participating as protagonists in this new phase of lunar exploration, following a tradition of space cooperation that has linked Italy and the United States since the time of Rocco Petrone, director of the Apollo program, a major figure in the first conquest of the Moon,” Urso said at a ceremony held in residence dedicated to the centenary of Petrone’s birth.
“We will return to the Moon, and this time to stay. We will do so thanks to Italian technology and with an Italian astronaut on one of the upcoming missions of the Artemis program. The companies in our aerospace districts, starting with the one in Turin, have the capabilities to ensure the success of these upcoming long-term missions,” added the minister.
A LONG-TERM SPACE COOPERATION
Finally, the agreement strengthens a historic cooperation between Italy and the United States in the space sector, initiated with the “San Marco” program, which made Italy the third country to independently launch a satellite, concludes the ministry’s statement, consolidating its role in future strategic technologies and confirming the presence of at least one Italian astronaut in future lunar missions of the Artemis program, flight opportunities that will add to those available within NATO-ESA relations, as announced by the Director of the European Space Agency, Josef Aschbacher, during the last Bremen Ministerial.
“A long-standing space cooperation, today even deeper between NASA and ASI, will lead to the creation of a base camp on the Moon and an Italian astronaut walking on the lunar surface. Italian expertise and technology open all doors to space exploration,” commented ASI President Valente.
THE MPH MODULE MADE IN TURIN BY THALES ALENIA SPACE ITALIA
Specifically for the Italian Space Agency, Thales Alenia Space Italia, the joint venture between the French Thales (67%) and the Italian Leonardo (33%), is conducting the preliminary design phase, including the development of critical enabling technologies, of MPH, a multi-purpose habitat module for the lunar surface, under a contract signed in July 2025 with ASI.
Designed for an operational life of ten years, MPH will serve as a permanent surface habitat, capable of operating synergistically with other elements of the Artemis architecture.
With launch planned from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in 2033, MPH will be the first true habitat asset dedicated to the lunar surface under the Artemis agreements between NASA and ASI, for bilateral cooperation on the Moon. The MPH module will safely host astronauts during their missions, support surface operations, enable scientific research experiments both with and without crew, and have the capability to move on the surface.
During the two-year contract phase, Thales Alenia Space Italia, as the prime global contractor, will work alongside Altec (a company jointly owned by Thales Alenia Space Italia and ASI) and other Italian industrial entities for the preliminary design phase of MPH, also developing the necessary technologies. The initial development will focus on enabling technologies aimed at addressing particularly harsh lunar surface environmental conditions, including extreme thermal variations, pervasive lunar dust, high radiation levels, micrometeorite impacts, and the effects of reduced lunar gravity.
