Has Europe Given Up On the New Moon Race?https://www.supercluster.com/editorial/has-europe-given-up-on-the-new-moon-race
Rome, July 25, 2025 – Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), has signed a contract with the Italian Space Agency (ASI) to perform the preliminary design phase, including development of critical enabling technologies, of the pressurized Multi-Purpose Habitation (MPH) module for the lunar surface. Planned for launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in 2033, the MPH module will be the first ever dedicated habitation asset on the lunar surface as part of the Artemis Accords between NASA and ASI for bilateral Moon cooperation. The MPH module will safely host astronauts during their missions, support surface operations, enable scientific research experiments both with and without the presence of a human crew; and have the capability to move on the surface.Designed for a minimum operational lifespan of 10 years, the MPH will serve as a permanent surface habitat, capable of operating synergistically with other elements of the Artemis architecture.
MPH (MULTI PURPOSE HABITATION MODULE)Thanks to the expertise acquired in designing and developing habitable modules operating in Low Earth Orbit (ISS), Italy has positioned itself as a leading country in the development of habitation modules for lunar exploration. In October 2020, Italy signed the Artemis Accords, through which the Italian Government committed to a shared and sustainable vision alongside other nations: “Artemis Accords, Principles for Cooperation in the Civil Exploration and Use of the Moon, Mars, Comets, and Asteroids for Peaceful Purposes.” Within this framework, ASI and NASA initiated a joint study for the preliminary design phase of the MPH (Multi-Purpose Habitation) module, which is intended to become the first habitation element of the Artemis architecture. In 2024, the preliminary study phase concluded with the Mission Concept Review (MCR) event, which allowed NASA experts to evaluate the Italian design for the MPH module as mature enough, thereby launching the process for acquiring the MPH module within the Artemis architecture. The module, in addition to providing habitability for a crew of three astronauts, must also be capable of mobility in order to be positioned on the most suitable site in the lunar polar region.
Lunar Surface Habitat. As NASA returns to the Moon, it is evaluating possible lunar surface habitation concepts. The Surface Habitat (SH) reference concept entails a hybrid metallic-inflatable structure capable of initially housing two crew for surface stays of up to 30 days in duration [4]. While initial missions may span ~7 days in duration, consideration is being given to expanding SH’s capability to support a crew of four for up to 60 days over its 15-year design life [5]. Functionally, the SH serves as a ‘hub’ for all Artemis crewed surface operations, providing internal volume for maintenance, medical, logistics, science utilization, and extravehicular activity (EVA) support in addition to core habitation functionality such as environmental control and life support (ECLS) and power generation and distribution among many others. Additionally, NASA has entered a study agreement with the Italian Space Agency (Agenzia Spaziale Italiana – ASI) to investigat[e] a possible Multi-Purpose Habitat (MPH) as an additional or augmenting habitable element for the lunar surface [6]. [4] Kessler, Paul, et al. "Artemis Deep Space Habitation: Enabling a Sustained Human Presence on the Moon and Beyond." 2022 IEEE Aerospace Conference (AERO). IEEE, 2022. [5] Harris, Danny W., et al. Moon to Mars (M2M) Habitation Considerations: A Snap Shot As of January 2022. No. M-1538. 2022. [6] Agenzia Spaziale Italiana. “Artemis Mission: Signed Agreement Between ASI and NASA.” URL: https://www.asi.it/en/2022/06/artemis-mission-signed-agreement-between-asi-and-nasa/
Toby Li@tobyliiiiiiiiii·Interesting proposal from the ISU of converting a Starship into a lunar surface habitat, Skylab-style.Starship has ~1000m^3 of pressurized volume, equivalent to that of ISS. A barebones Starship converted to a base would result in a copious amount of habitable volume. #SERASpace
This looks... familiar... I'm quite certain this infographic (or one almost identical to it) was already shared and discussed within the last few years...Edit: I probably saw it somewhere around "surface habitats for mars"; recycled for a more immediate application perhaps?
Quote from: SpaceLizard on 09/24/2025 11:09 pmThis looks... familiar... I'm quite certain this infographic (or one almost identical to it) was already shared and discussed within the last few years...Edit: I probably saw it somewhere around "surface habitats for mars"; recycled for a more immediate application perhaps?https://www.reddit.com/r/SpaceXLounge/comments/qcymrn/horizontal_starship_moon_base_concept/
Kinda funny that Lockheed sponsored this. Yes I get how this works ( it helps their recruiting efforts ) , but still funny nonetheless.
Quote from: SpaceLizard on 09/24/2025 11:09 pmThis looks... familiar... I'm quite certain this infographic (or one almost identical to it) was already shared and discussed within the last few years...Edit: I probably saw it somewhere around "surface habitats for mars"; recycled for a more immediate application perhaps?https://old.reddit.com/r/SpaceXLounge/comments/qcymrn/horizontal_starship_moon_base_concept/
So, I was wondering... Do they add odorants/mercaptans to the methane used in Starship? It would be a stinky place to live.
Quote from: TheEmbeddedGuy on 09/25/2025 01:39 amSo, I was wondering... Do they add odorants/mercaptans to the methane used in Starship? It would be a stinky place to live.Surely they could be flushed/cleaned before occupation. Or would the odorants semi-permanently permeate the steel?
Oct 14, 2025While visiting ICON, a company that designs and makes 3D printers for printing structures, Adam visits the labs for their space-based construction system: Project Olympus! We learn how ICON's engineers are experimenting with robotic systems that can turn the moon's regolith into landing pads, roadways, and even eventually pressurized habitats. Learn more about ICON's Project Olympus: https://iconbuild.com/lunar-constructionNote: This video is not sponsored. We received no compensation, including travel. We were in Austin and we think the tech at ICON, where someone we know works, is cool! We would have disclosed if this was a paid integration; see our recent videos with Jabra and Alienware.
3.2 LoadsLoads will also be imposed on the LLP by vehicles and landers, primarily during launch and landing activities, which will introduce high temperatures and pressures. The mass of the spacecraft, the amount of thrust produced during launches and landings, and the potential impact force must be quantified for design. Several spacecraft have been designed by commercial companies, such as SpaceX’s Starship and Blue Origin’s Blue Moon. The landing mechanism design, such as number of legs, weight, weight distribution, and loaded area, affects the force that the LLP will experience during touchdown. Ideally, all legs would impact the pad at the same time, resulting in a concentric landing. However, cases of an imperfect landings may occur, resulting in a larger concentrated weight on fewer legs, or potentially even one leg coming first into contact. Thus, the LLP must be designed to withstand flexural and punching shear stresses, as explained in Section 2, caused by the impact force of the footpad(s). The relevant information that is available for potential landers is included in Table 2. The remainder of this paper will consider values associated with the Blue Moon to illustrate the approach and yield a design suitable for spacecraft up to 50 tons. Static loads, such as the weight of the lander under lunar gravity, will affect the amount of deflection that the LLP will experience. The lander mass also influences long-term effects such as creep, where a sustained load causes increased deformation, or settlement, when the supporting soil allows the slab to move. It must be noted that time-dependent data used in the construction of the LLP, such as creep, fatigue, and temperature effects of the material, are important to establish life-cycle performance of an LLP. Additionally, after landing or before lift-off, the LLP may be subjected to additional loadings, such as transport vehicles driving across the surface or loading/unloading cargo. When these loads are significant, they can be considered by superimposing the deformations resulting from those loads on the deformations from those from the lander itself. Dynamic loads, such as acoustic and mechanical vibrations, may also occur.The pad must be able to resist the lander’s exhaust plume during landing and launching, which causes high temperature and pressure conditions (Table 2). During landing, the thrusters are often turned off to allow a short duration freefall. However, during lift-off the thrusters are at their closest point to the surface of the LLP, causing the most extreme temperature and pressure conditions. Plume considerations are discussed in Section 4.The pad material must also be able to withstand the chemicals from the plume and potential fueling operations, as the propellants can contain liquid hydrogen, liquid methane, and liquid oxygen; the landing pad materials are unlikely to have been previously exposed to these chemicals on a regular basis. Durability to chemicals will require more information than is available now.
Chlorine bleach wash or wipe down can eliminate any odor from the liquid methane.
Mercaptans [...]
Jared Isaacman clarifies "establish an enduring presence" aka the "permanent lunar outpost" in the EO means a lunar base:https://twitter.com/mmealling/status/2004993398672093290Quote@rookisaacman Can you please describe what "an enduring presence" looks like? Most Americans don't understand what that means.https://twitter.com/NASAAdmin/status/2005017621746590205QuoteWe are going to build a Moon base
@rookisaacman Can you please describe what "an enduring presence" looks like? Most Americans don't understand what that means.
We are going to build a Moon base
Sec. 2. Policy. My Administration will focus its space policy on achieving the following priorities:(a) Leading the world in space exploration and expanding human reach and American presence in space by: [...](ii) establishing initial elements of a permanent lunar outpost by 2030 to ensure a sustained American presence in space and enable the next steps in Mars exploration [...].
