The Mission Definition Review (MDR) of the MPH (Multi Purpose Habitation module) project, the Italian-led lunar surface habitation module, a key element of the bilateral ASI/NASA collaboration for Artemis, has been concluded at the Italian Space Agency (ASI).
The MPH module has the main goal of becoming the “home” of astronauts on the lunar soil.. Coordinated by ASI and developed by Thales Alenia Space in the Turin laboratories, the project also sees the contribution of Altec, which will be responsible for control operations from Earth when the module is operational on the Moon.
The positive conclusion of the MDR Review, conducted by ASI under the supervision of NASA experts present as observers, represents a fundamental step towards the final exam scheduled for next September in WashingtonThis review will be conducted by NASA officials for the Artemis program and the Moon to Mars Strategy, and could definitively sanction the process of inclusion of the Italian habitation module in the final architecture of the lunar program. A goal that, if achieved, will confirm the Italian skills and the maturity of the project.
‘The overcoming of this phase confirms, once again, the farsightedness of the investments made over the years which have allowed the country system to acquire – underlines the president of ASI, Teodoro Valente – exclusive skills in the construction of housing modules. A true world record. This further recognition by NASA opens up the possibility of being among the protagonists in the human settlement of the Moon. Industry, research and academia are capable of addressing and providing technologically cutting-edge responses in the wake of Made in Italy space. The coordination and synergy put in place by all the actors have today been rewarded by the first green light from NASA, of which we are essential partners for the development of complex systems for the human exploration of space.’
Italy was among the first eight signatories of the Artemis Accords in 2020, proposing itself for the construction of the first element destined to constitute the nucleus of a permanent settlement on the lunar surface. MPH will therefore be the first module of the Artemis program to reach the Moon.allowing the astronauts to stay safely.
