Scanway, a leading Polish technology company in the New Space sector, will support projects under the Small Lunar Missions program initiated by the European Space Agency’s (ESA). 

A total of 62 projects have been submitted to the program, and 7 of them have qualified for the preliminary A phase. In two projects – Mani and LUMI – Scanway is the consortium partner. 

Mani is a project aimed at performing photometric mapping of the Moon’s surface with the highest spatial resolution to date – at the micrometer scale. Improving the precision of topographic maps of the Moon will allow better preparation of exploration missions, and verification of the photometric potential of the solution can support future missions to further regions of space. 

LUMI is a project that will focus on high-resolution imaging of the Moon’s surface, enabling the creation of digital elevation models of the South Pole regions. The models will provide valuable data for future landings and operations on the surface of the Silver Globe for ESA, NASA and commercial and institutional entities. 

The Mani and LUMI projects are being carried out as part of the European Space Agency’s Terrae Novae program, which aims to advance space exploration, including the Moon. Ultimately, ESA will select up to two projects in the Small Lunar Missions program to be launched within 4-4.5 years, with the total cost of implementing each project estimated at about EUR 50 million. 

In 2023, Poland increased its contribution to ESA’s European Exploration Envelope Program (E3P), a key operational tool for the strategic directions set by the Terrae Novae program. 

Scanway S.A. has been actively supporting the development of the space economy for several years. The Company’s optical solutions have been included in the most important European and Polish space missions of 2024. The company executes some of Poland’s largest contracts for space equipment (including for commercial customers) and is a key consortium member in Poland’s largest space projects (including EagleEye and PIAST). In July this year, the company placed its equipment (Scanway Camera System) on the inaugural flight of Europe’s largest carrier rocket, Ariane 6.