In the seaside town of Noordwijk in the Netherlands, engineers at the European Space Agency’s (ESA) European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) are hard at work addressing challenges never encountered before.
Among them is Cork-born Dr Neil Murray, now lead engineer on the ESA’s ambitious lunar lander project, Argonaut. Quietly and methodically, Europe is preparing to land on the moon, not as a partner, but on its own terms.
For decades, the ESA has collaborated closely with Nasa, Canadian Space Agency (CSA), Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) and others, contributing the Columbus module to the International Space Station, robotic arms and science instruments for missions across the Solar System.
But with Argonaut, the ESA is stepping out independently with a bold goal: to deliver infrastructure, science and eventually supplies for astronauts to the surface of the moon. “It’s the first time Europe is going to safely land on the lunar surface,” Murray says. “We have so many problems which is frustrating and beautiful at the same time.”
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Argonaut is the ESA’s new lunar cargo lander, a robotic spacecraft designed to deliver up to 1,500kg of cargo to the moon’s surface. It will support missions to the lunar South Pole, a region of intense scientific and strategic interest, particularly for future human habitation. Capable of surviving the punishing lunar night – 14 days of darkness with temperatures plunging to minus 150 degrees – Argonaut is engineered to last up to five years on the moon.
The spacecraft is composed of three main components: the Lunar Descent Element (LDE), which guides the lander safely to the surface; the cargo platform, acting as a foundation; and the mission payload, which includes rovers, life-support resources, scientific equipment and communications infrastructure.
Standing six metres high and 4.5m in diameter, Argonaut is, as Murray says, “a big spacecraft”. It is also Europe‘s first attempt at delivering something of this scale to another world.
“We‘re bringing 1,500 kilograms of passenger to the lunar surface. We like to refer to the payload element of Argonaut as the ‘passenger’, because it has so many elements to it.”
The first full mission in the programme, known as ArgoNET, is planned to launch in late 2031. It will deploy “NET” infrastructure – navigation, energy, and telecommunications – to help make the moon a more accessible, navigable place.
Acting as a kind of lunar beacon, ArgoNET will improve lunar navigation serving as a reference point for essential selenodetic measurements to accurately measure the moon’s surface and varying gravitational fields.
The Argonaut mission is not just a technical challenge, it’s also a statement of independence. “It’s important that we are autonomous,” Murray says. “If we can’t do things on our own, then we‘re always reliant on others. But it’s also important that we can bring something unique to the table when we do co-operate.”
The emphasis on European capability is everywhere in the project. The launcher for the mission is Ariane 6, built by the ESA in collaboration with European providers, Arianespace. The LDE is built primarily by Thales Alenia, also European.
And the mission design, funding, and leadership are all European. “Argonaut is important, and all these other things that the ESA provide, especially Earth observation means that we are contributing to the global space community. That’s unique to us, and that allows us to add value.”
The ESA is also leading the way in sustainable space, Murray explains. “As part of our engineering process, we design beyond the short-term and instead include a sustainable end of life for our missions. That’s good for everybody and good for the future.”
“Argonaut is part of ESA‘s vision for sustainable lunar exploration,” he adds, “not just getting there, but staying there”.
A replica of Argonaut stands proudly in LUNA, the ESA‘s state-of-the-art new lunar analogue facility at its European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, Germany. The Spaceship EAC science research teams there are studying the moon’s soil, searching for water ice, and preparing for future missions using lunar resources.
Much like for Dr Aidan Cowley, materials scientist and ESA research officer at LUNA, it will be a proud moment on the day of touchdown. “That will be amazing,” Murray adds. “There will definitely be a piece of Ireland on the moon when Argonaut succeeds. We are well represented in this mission.”
Murray’s own journey to the moon is rooted in curiosity rather than certainty. “When I was 16 or 17, I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do,” he recalls. “Not a clue. And I don’t know how kids do it now either. You can always change.”
He chose mechanical engineering at Munster Technological University (then Cork Institute of Technology), drawn by an interest in maths, physics and fixing things. “Someone said, with mechanical engineering, you can do a bit of everything and then specialise later.”
That open-minded approach served him well. A year of work experience confirmed he wasn’t drawn to industry straight away, and instead he set his sights on further study. He was accepted by both Oxford University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and chose MIT.
“People said I’d struggle like hell,” Murray says with a laugh. “But actually, I didn’t. The education I got in Cork was more than enough.”
After MIT came a PhD at Imperial College London, where he found himself working in a supersonic wind tunnel, “a Mach nine tunnel right in the centre of London”, Murray beams.
From there, a career at the ESA unfolded, eventually leading him to the Argonaut programme in 2023. Ask Murray about the highlight of working on Argonaut, and he can’t pick one.
“Every day is different. Every day is a highlight. I love the team, and I love the problems. When something is really like: ‘This is never going to work’, and then it works. That’s the best feeling.”
Landing on the moon is notoriously difficult with failures more often than successful outcomes. Why? It’s a challenge to remotely control a precision landing on the moon using complex guidance systems and varying lunar gravitational fields.
“Space technology is all cutting-edge and done on a tight budget,” Murray adds. “People think the budgets are huge, but they’re not. Compared to the real world, it’s small. So we have to do very difficult things, in a very short time, with very little money.”
That challenge is part of the appeal. “If it was easy, we wouldn’t be here,” he says. “We chose to be here, because it’s hard.”
One of the most compelling aspects of Argonaut is its future role. Beyond the first mission in 2031, the ESA hopes to launch regular cargo runs to the moon throughout the 2030s.
These could deliver scientific experiments, solar power units, rovers, or even the water, food and air needed by astronauts. The lander itself is designed to remain on the moon for up to five years, serving as a platform for new missions or as a reminder of Europe‘s first step toward a permanent lunar presence.
“This lander could one day be something we visit, something we point to and say: ‘That was the first one. That was ours.’”
For young people looking toward careers in the space sector, Murray offers this advice: don’t get bogged down in whether it’s “possible”.
“I never thought about whether it was possible or not. I just thought about what I wanted to do, and just went for it.”
He credits his success not just to technical skills, but to mindset. “I like puzzles. I like maths. I have a good imagination for problem solving, and I don’t get stressed by problems. I enjoy them.”
More than a single mission, Argonaut represents a turning point, a moment when Europe shifts from participant to pioneer. With engineers like Murray at the helm, it’s clear that the ESA isn’t just thinking about the moon, it’s thinking about what happens after we get there.
“Everything we do is for everybody and for the future,” he adds. “We‘re thinking about clean space, debris, sustainability. It’s not just about getting to the moon. It’s about doing it in a way that makes sense for the future.”
In the years ahead, Argonaut may quietly become one of the most important spacecraft of our time: a steady, sustainable bridge between Earth and the moon, built in Europe, for the world – and Ireland.
