Politecnico di Milano leads the ESA LUMIO mission to the Moon.
Politecnico di Milano is leading the European LUMIO (Lunar Meteoroid Impacts Observer) mission, promoted by the European Space Agency (ESA), which will continuously observe meteoroid impacts on the far side of the Moon.
With the Kick-Off Meeting held on 2 March 2026, Phase C of the mission has officially started, focusing on the development of the main subsystems and the detailed design. The project is coordinated by Politecnico di Milano through the DART Lab of the Department of Aerospace Science and Technology and is supported by the Italian Space Agency (ASI), with the participation of the space agencies of Norway, the United Kingdom and Sweden.
The mission involves the use of a 12U CubeSat, a satellite of approximately 30 kg, which will operate in a halo orbit around the Earth–Moon L2 Lagrangian point. From this position, it will be possible to continuously observe the far side of the Moon, detecting flashes generated by meteoroid impacts. The satellite will be equipped with LUMIO-Cam, an optical instrument capable of operating in the visible and near-infrared spectrum, designed to identify impacts and transmit scientifically relevant data back to Earth. These observations will contribute to improving models of meteoroid distribution in the cislunar environment, a key aspect for future lunar exploration missions.
With LUMIO, Politecnico di Milano coordinates a European consortium in the development of a deep-space mission; it is a recognition of the University’s ability to collaborate with scientific and industrial partners in developing innovative technologies for lunar exploration.
Francesco Topputo, Principal Investigator of the mission
The European consortium of the mission is led by the Politecnico di Milano and includes Argotec, responsible for the design, integration and testing of the satellite platform; Leonardo, developer of the LUMIO-Cam instrument; IMT for the transponder and solar panels; Nautilus for flight dynamics; S&T Norway for scientific data processing; Lift Me Off for the propulsion system; and ECAPS for the thrusters. During Phase C, the satellite platform, scientific payload, propulsion system, ground segment, and navigation systems will be further developed in detail, leading to the Critical Design Review scheduled for 2027.
