3.01.2026
Credit: Space Inventor
The European Space Agency has selected to proceed with a Danish-led satellite mission as one of a number of small, relatively inexpensive missions to the Moon. Called Máni, after the Norse personification of the Moon, the mission is expected to be launched in 2029 and will conduct high-resolution mapping of the lunar surface.
ESA published a call for ideas for small, cost-effective missions to the Moon in late 2023. The aim of the project was to enable more frequent and lower-risk lunar exploration by supporting missions that could be developed and launched quickly, allowing the agency to adapt to swiftly evolving scientific priorities and technological capabilities. Under this programme, proposed missions are required not to exceed a development cost of €50 million and to be ready to launch within four and a half years.
A total of eight proposals were selected, with all but one receiving €150,000 to mature their respective mission concepts. MAGPIE, the only proposal targeting a landing on the lunar surface, was instead selected for a direct implementation path, aiming for a Moon landing by the end of the decade. The remaining proposals completed the nine-month, ESA-funded mission studies and were presented for further selection to determine which would progress to the next phase of the programme.
While ESA has yet to announce the full list of mission proposals selected to proceed to the next round, the University of Copenhagen, which is leading the development of the Máni mission, stated on 17 December that the Danish-led mission to the Moon had been selected by ESA on 16 December to advance to the next phase of development. The decision was likely finalised on the first day of the agency’s 342nd Council meeting, held at its headquarters in Paris.
“With this decision, the largest Danish satellite mission ever is on its way to becoming reality. It’s the first time Denmark will lead an ESA mission and the first time a Danish-led satellite will leave Earth’s orbit. The journey truly begins now – it’s about to get exciting,” said the mission leader at the University of Copenhagen, Jens Frydenvang.
Frydenvang added that the data collected by the satellite will be used to assist in the identification of optimal sites for future crewed missions to the lunar surface, as well as the most suitable locations for building habitats to support a long-term human presence on the Moon.
According to an 18 December release from Space Inventor, the Aalborg-based small satellite manufacturer selected to design and build the Máni spacecraft, the Danish government has earmarked a budget of DKK 130 million (approximately €17 million) for the development of the mission.
Danish-led space mission to map the lunar surface
The University of Copenhagen will lead Denmark’s first lunar mission. The mission aims to map the Moon’s surface in unprecedented detail to make it safer to land on the Moon and construct bases in the future.
The Moon is covered in fine dust, gravel, large rocks, and enormous craters. But despite millennia of observation through telescopes, satellites, and the naked eye, we still know surprisingly little about its surface.
Soon, the Moon’s surface will be less alien when the first Danish-led lunar mission, the Máni mission, is launched. December 16th, the European Space Agency (ESA) agreed to proceed with a series of missions, including the Danish-led project.
“With this decision, the largest Danish satellite mission ever is on its way to becoming reality. It’s the first time Denmark will lead an ESA mission and the first time a Danish-led satellite will leave Earth’s orbit. The journey truly begins now – it’s about to get exciting,” says mission leader Jens Frydenvang, Associate Professor at the Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen.
The Máni satellite will capture high-resolution images of the Moon’s surface, paving the way for safer future missions. The mapping can help ensure secure landings for astronauts and robotic explorers.
“Our mapping can make lunar landings safer. And with our data, we can also help identify the best locations for building bases for future astronauts,” says Jens Frydenvang.
The University of Copenhagen heads an international consortium of Danish and international research institutions and industry partners to realize the Máni mission. Danish partners include Aalborg University, Aarhus University, the University of Southern Denmark, the Danish Meteorological Institute, and Space Inventor.
Moon shadows help us understand the surface
It is an advanced and groundbreaking technology developed at the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen that the Máni mission will use for the lunar mapping.
The technology is based on the satellite taking multiple images of a specific area from different angles and recording the shadows on the Moon’s surface.
“When sunlight moves across the Moon, the shadows change shape, and with the Máni satellite we get images of the same area from different angles. That’s information we can use to calculate elevation differences, measure slopes, and learn more about the Moon’s terrain. By combining that information, we can create maps with much better resolution than we have today,” says Iris Fernandes, postdoc at the Niels Bohr Institute and science data lead for the Máni mission.
That shadows play a central role in the Máni mission is the result of an earlier research project where shadows played a trick on Iris Fernandes.
Back in 2019, she was working on designing a mathematical model that could automatically recognize chalk layers and patterns in the limestone at the Cliffs of Stevns in Denmark from images. But the model misinterpreted the shadows in the cliffs as layers in the limestone.
“At some point, I realized that shadows can also tell us a lot about the landscape, for example the size and shape of what casts the shadow. I’m a big space nerd, so I knew the Moon is a place with plenty of shadows without atmospheric disturbances. So, I started working with lunar data to see if shadows could help us understand the surface instead,” says Iris Fernandes.
Together with Professor Klaus Mosegaard from the Niels Bohr Institute, she developed the algorithm that can reconstruct the Moon’s surface with far more detail than previously possible.
A milestone for Danish space research
The Máni mission is a collaboration between Danish and international universities and knowledge institutions, slated to generate new insights about the Moon with the new data. Industrial partners play a key role in building the satellite and its components.
Eva Hoffmann, Prorector for Research and Innovation at the University of Copenhagen, welcomes ESA’s decision to proceed with the Máni mission:
“The Máni mission is a milestone for Danish space research. I’m proud that a project led by the University of Copenhagen, with participation from other Danish universities, has received ESA’s green light. It’s a brilliant example of why collaboration between academia and industry is crucial for innovative solutions. And it shows that Denmark is in the big league when it comes to space research,” says Eva Hoffmann.
The mission is scheduled for launch in 2029.
Quelle: UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN