The European Space Agency and NASA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to take Europe to the Moon.

This historic agreement will see ESA Member States contribute a number of essential elements to the first human outpost in lunar orbit, known as the Gateway.

It confirms ESA’s commitment to delivering at least two European Service Modules that provide electricity, water, oxygen and nitrogen to NASA’s Orion spacecraft – with more to come. ESA will fly astronauts to the Gateway as the result of the MoU.

ESA’s head of the Legal Services, Marco Ferrazzani, explains how these agreements will take us forward to the Moon.

Take a look at some frequently asked questions for more information.