What is the Africa 2 Moon Mission about?

Africa’s mission for the moon. By combining cutting-edge science with educational outreach and capacity building, Africa2Moon seeks to inspire the next generation of African scientists, foster international collaboration, and demonstrate Africa’s potential in advanced engineering and scientific innovation.

Together we will make history…

Africa2Moon consists of two missions. The first mission will deploy a Technology Demonstrator on the Moon made up of four antennas, the first radio astronomy array on the lunar surface, to be deployed in the Moon’s south pole region. The second mission will deploy 54 antennas on the far side of the Moon, each antenna representing a country in Africa.

We have applied for the Technology Demonstrator to be a payload on a 2028 lunar mission. If our application is successful, this project is set to become the first radio astronomy array on the Moon’s surface, enabling ground breaking science to be conducted from the Moon. 

This array will enable scientists to study a bandwidth of information from the Universe that is largely undetectable from the Earth, with the aim of unlocking new discoveries about the Solar System, the Galaxy and beyond.

The application phase is  exciting and ahead of us is an incredible potential opportunity 

In 2023 the Chinese National Space Agency released the announcement of opportunities for International Cooperation of the Chang’e 8 Lunar Mission. The Foundation for Space Development Africa, in collaboration with organisations such as the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO) and endorsed by the South African National Space agency (SANSA), submitted the application for the Africa2Moon Technology Demonstrator. The Technology Demonstrator is made up of four antennas (B.A.L.L.S.) that will together work as a radio astronomy telescope. After a rigorous application process to be a payload on the mission to the surface of the Moon, we are now in the final stretch and the final payload selection will be announced in the coming months.

We eagerly await the announcement in the coming months..

If our application is successful, this African designed and built telescope is set to become the first radio astronomy array on the Moon’s surface, enabling ground-breaking first time science to be conducted from the Moon. Radio astronomy is the study of outer space using radio waves rather than visible light.

This will enable scientists to study a bandwidth of information from the Universe that is largely undetectable from the Earth, with the aim of unlocking new discoveries about the Cosmos. If our application is successful we will begin the three year engineering and testing process as we countdown to launch.