ESA confirms Thales Alenia Space to build European Gateway modules The ESA has signed a €296.5m contract with France’s Thales Alenia Space to start building the European element for the Lunar Gateway, the planned replacement for the International Space Station. The work will provide the new space exploration facility with communications and refuelling capabilities. Specifically, the European System Providing Refueling, Infrastructure and Telecommunications (ESPRIT), will be a cylindrical module with space for astronauts to work in and include an observatory giving 360° views of the Moon and spacecraft as they dock with the lunar outpost. ESPRIT will consist of two main elements: a system to provide data, voice and video communications from the Gateway to the Moon, and a refueling module that will provide the Gateway with xenon and chemical propellants.