Nammo UK has been selected as the main engine supplier for the Esponaut Lunar Lander
Nammo UK has been selected to supply the main engine for Europe’s Aronar Lunar Lander, a major component of the NASA-LED Artemis program that will return humans to the moon in the early 2030s.
The announcement was made at the ESA center in Cologne, where senior representatives of ESA, Nammo, Thales Space, OHB System AG and Thales Alenia Space UK took part in the official signing ceremony.
The Buckinghamshire-based company will offer its new BI-Porpollant engine – a 6KN extra rocket engine currently being built at its Westcott Venture Park facility. The trust will grow Europe’s first lunar lander, support the Artemis Mission planned for 2031 and enable the delivery of food, water, scientific instruments, communications infrastructure and lunar power systems.
Robert Selby, Vice President of Nammo Space, said the payment represents a “huge step forward” for both engine reliability and operational capacity in Europe. “We are honored to be chosen,” he said. “This is a testament to the incredible team, and the UK’s growing role in intensive testing.”
Dr Paul Bate, CEO of the UK Space Agency, said the decision highlighted “longstanding values and continued leadership” in space excellence. “This is a huge achievement for NAMMO UK and our expanding local sector,” he said. “The Trust engine continues Westcott’s pride of British Rocket Innovation and will support a wide range of future missions.”
Aeronaut will operate independently and form the basis of Europe’s mission to Artemis – the first manned return to the surface of the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. The lander will serve as a logistics vehicle, an essential tool to support long-term exploration.
The reliability engine draws design inspiration from the historic Apollo engines, using a pintle ejector for controllable tracking and hyperGolic Propellals for reliability. It also builds on Namk UK’s successful Engine family, which has been used on missions including NASA’s Spacecraft, Adras-Firefcale’s Blue Ghost Lunar, and Adras-J Debris-Removal-Demolition Demolition.
Nammo UK became part of the Nammegian Aerospace and Defense Group Nammo, with its division operating from sites in Westcott, Cheltenham, Raufoss (Norway) and Dublin. The company continues to qualify new propulsion systems for the world’s spacecraft and launch markets.
