Thales Alenia Space has won an 862 million euro ($897 million) order from the European Space Agency (ESA) to deliver a lunar lander for moon exploration launches to begin in the 2030s, the firm said on Thursday.

Thales Alenia Space signed a contract valued at 862 million euros ($898.4 million) with the European Space Agency to develop a lander to ship cargo to the Moon.

The lander will fly to the Moon and land on its surface assuring the European autonomous access to the Moon Thales Alenia Space plays a pioneering role to enable the European autonomous access to the Moon The Argonaut lunar lander is designed to offer

(Reuters) - Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales and Leonardo, on Thursday announced a 862 million euro ($896.9 million) order from the European Space Agency for the development of the Argonaut lunar lander. The lander, designed for cargo delivery to the moon, is planned to be launched in the 2030s, the group said in a press release.