Brussels/Houston (Belgium/US), 23 September 2026 – Today, European space company Space Applications Services (SpaceApps) unveils its lunar rover, LUVMI-M, which is scheduled to travel to the south pole of the Moon in early 2029 aboard Blue Origin MK1 lunar lander. This mission is set to be Europe’s first fully operational commercial lunar rover mission, paving the way for humanities future settlement of the Moon.
This mission will provide opportunities to search for lunar volatiles, such as water ice and helium-3; to determine the geological and geotechnical properties of the lunar regolith; to record lunar seismic activity; to investigate plasma physics and dust interactions; and to demonstrate navigation, communication, and other technologies. The data collected by LUVMI-M will improve our understanding of the lunar environment, helping to ensure that future lunar activities are safe and successful. The mission also enables unconventional payloads from creators, thinkers and organizations around the world to send cultural and symbolic artefacts and messages to the Moon.
The LUVMI-M rover is being designed and built by Space Applications Services near Brussels, Belgium, with support from the European Union, the Belgian Science Policy Office (BELSPO), and the European Space Agency (ESA). Once on the lunar surface, LUVMI-M will be operated from the company’s space operations control center in Belgium. This mission marks a significant milestone in Europe’s development of commercial capabilities for lunar exploration.
Following this initial mission, there will be missions every second year using a range of LUVMI rovers with various degrees of autonomy and robotic capabilities. The objective is to achieve the sustained, long-term scientific and industrial activity on the Moon necessary for a permanent base.
Moon as a Service
The LUVMI Service is a commercial offering that uses LUVMI rovers to provide rapid, frequent and cost-effective access to the lunar surface, as well as on-surface mobility. It is a trailblazer, allowing multiple customers to use the rover to command their payloads and receive data on their premises.
“With LUVMI-M, we are making an important step towards enabling lunar exploration. Our 2029 mission is on track to become Europe’s first fully operational commercial lunar rover mission, pioneering surface data collection and private exploration of the Moon. Commercial missions can make the Moon cost effectively accessible to companies, researchers, and others who wish to collect data or test technologies there. We are pleased to have selected Blue Origin as our launch partner to make the mission a success,” says Richard Aked, CEO of Space Applications Services.
A European mission with global partners
Space Applications Services has secured a place for the LUVMI-M rover on board the Blue Origin MK1 lunar lander, which will deliver the rover to the lunar surface. This collaboration combines the expertise of Space Applications Services in space system development and space operations with Blue Origin’s capabilities in commercial lunar transportation. It also reflects the increasingly international nature of lunar exploration, with European companies playing an active role in developing commercial capabilities for the Moon.
”We’re proud to support Space Applications Services on this important milestone for commercial lunar exploration and our European partnerships,” said Logan Ware, Commercial Director for Blue Origin International. “Blue Origin’s lunar landers are designed and built to make missions to the lunar surface more frequent and accessible, and we’re grateful for their partnership as we work together to expand access to the Moon.”
About Space Applications Services
Space Applications Services is a Belgian space and defense technology company founded in 1987 and headquartered in Zaventem, Belgium. With nearly four decades of operating heritage, the Company has evolved from a specialized engineering organization supporting human spaceflight programmes into an established provider of integrated space, defense and ground systems for institutional and commercial customers. The Company designs, develops, integrates and operates complex systems across three strategic destinations: Low Earth Orbit (LEO), Lunar and Planetary Exploration, and dual-use space and defense applications. Its end-to-end capabilities span systems engineering, robotics, avionics, mission control software and operational services, with activities organized into three complementary business lines: Technology Projects, Products and Recurring Services.
