Nammo UK has been selected to supply the main engine for the European Space Agency’s Argonaut lunar lander, a major element of the NASA-led Artemis programme that will return humans to the Moon in the early 2030s.
The announcement was made at ESA’s European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, where senior representatives from ESA, Nammo, Thales Alenia Space, OHB System AG and Thales Alenia Space UK took part in a formal signing ceremony.
The Buckinghamshire-based company will provide its new RELIANCE bi-propellant engine — a 6kN throttleable rocket engine now under development at its Westcott Venture Park facility. RELIANCE will power Europe’s first lunar lander, supporting the Artemis mission scheduled for 2031 and enabling the delivery of food, water, scientific instruments, communications infrastructure and power systems to the lunar surface.
Robert Selby, Vice President of Nammo Space, said the contract represents “a major step forward” for both the RELIANCE engine and European propulsion capability. “We’re honoured to be selected,” he said. “This is a testament to the remarkable team we have, and to the UK’s growing role in deep-space exploration.”
Dr Paul Bate, CEO of the UK Space Agency, said the decision highlights the UK’s “long heritage and continued leadership” in space propulsion. “This is a significant achievement for Nammo UK and our expanding space sector,” he said. “The RELIANCE engine continues Westcott’s proud legacy of British rocket innovation and will support a wide range of future missions.”
Argonaut will operate autonomously and form a core pillar of Europe’s contribution to Artemis — the first human return to the lunar surface since Apollo 17 in 1972. The lander will serve as a logistics vehicle, transporting vital cargo to support long-term exploration and habitation.
The RELIANCE engine draws design inspiration from the Apollo programme’s historic engines, using a pintle injector for precision landing control and hypergolic propellants for reliability. It also builds on Nammo UK’s successful LEROS engine family, used in missions including NASA’s Juno spacecraft, Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lunar lander, and Astroscale’s ADRAS-J debris-removal demonstration.
Nammo UK forms part of the wider Norwegian aerospace and defence group Nammo, with its space division operating from sites in Westcott, Cheltenham, Raufoss (Norway) and Dublin. The company continues to qualify new propulsion systems for global spacecraft and launch markets.
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Nammo UK chosen as main engine supplier for ESA’s Argonaut lunar lander