The European Space Agency is taking lemons from NASA's paused Gateway space station and trying to make a very expensive lemonade stand. ESA has issued an invitation to tender for studies on repurposing Lunar Link, a communications system originally built for Gateway, into a standalone lunar communications satellite.

The agency plans to award up to two parallel contracts worth up to 3 million euros ($3.4 million) each for fast-track Phase A/B1 studies lasting no more than 12 months. This follows a decision by ESA member states at the agency's 347th Council meeting on June 16 and 17 to assess whether Lunar Link could become a dedicated cislunar communications asset after NASA paused Gateway deployment in March.

The studies will explore whether Lunar Link could complement and serve as a precursor to ESA's Moonlight program, a planned constellation for lunar communications and navigation services. Instead of building a bespoke platform, contractors will prioritize using an existing satellite platform that is already qualified or needs minimal modification. They'll also consider whether the spacecraft could carry one or more "payloads of opportunity" as a secondary objective.

Thales Alenia Space France, which developed Lunar Link, will be a mandatory subcontractor, with ESA recommending at least 750,000 euros of each contract reserved for its work. ESA awarded Thales a 296 million euro contract in 2021 to develop both Lunar Link and Lunar View, a combined communications and refueling contribution to Gateway. The flight hardware for Lunar Link is already at an advanced stage: the complete payload has been integrated and passed functional and environmental testing, with only a final antenna deployment test remaining. Thales expects qualification by the end of the year.

Contractors will also outline development schedules and cost estimates for subsequent phases, with the proposed schedule required to support a launch in the fourth quarter of 2029. Meanwhile, the future of ESA's other Gateway contributions - Lunar I-Hab habitation module and Lunar View - remains uncertain. ESA plans to continue Lunar I-Hab work until its critical design review, then assess repurposing options, while slowing Lunar View development but retaining key technologies like refueling for future deep-space exploration.