We see it as an open-ended project, with Europe as the prime mover.

We want to leverage the capabilities of nearly every nation on Earth. We’re calling this initiative the “Moon Village” - and it’s a truly global endeavor. This next step is to build a settlement on the Moon. Now is the time to envision the next expansion of humankind’s presence in space on a permanent, sustainable basis. But first we must think about the next step in that process. Piero Messina: For more than 20 years, we have worked, lived, conducted scientific experiments, and assembled infrastructure in Low Earth Orbit - thanks largely to the International Space Station and previous space stations. Why the Moon? What does this project mean for space exploration? They discuss the aspirations for the Moon Village, and what it could mean for life in space and here on Earth. To kick off the collaboration, Piero Messina, from the Strategy Department at ESA, and astronaut Claudie Haigneré joined SOM architects and engineers Colin Koop, Daniel Inocente, and Georgi Petrov in conversation, along with Advenit Makaya, an advanced manufacturing engineer, and Markus Landgraf, an architecture analyst, both based at ESTEC (European Space Research and Technology Centre). Everything to support human life on the Moon will be designed - from a master plan for the settlement, to the actual habitat modules for its first residents. The visionary project, dubbed the “Moon Village,” brings together experts from government, academic institutions, and private industry.

In this spirit, the European Space Agency (ESA) has invited SOM to design the first permanent human settlement in outer space. As private companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin have entered the field, government agencies that have traditionally led outer space activities are forming partnerships to harness the momentum of a new “space race.” Eugene Cernan captured Jack Schmitt running to the Rover at Station 5 during Apollo 17, NASA’s final Moon mission, in 1972.

International moon village