An Italian designed lunar module could be on the moon as soon as 2026 or 2027, Italian Space Agency (ASI) President Giorgio Saccoccia said on Friday. Saccoccia was speaking on the fringes of a meeting at the United States embassy in Rome with NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Deputy Administrator Pamela Melroy the day after NASA and ASI signed an agreement for Italy to design the first living modules for a possible future base on the moon.

"It will be the first fundament step" for Artemis said Saccoccia, referring to the programme to take humans back to the moon and establish a long-term presence on it. Under the agreement, Italy will prepare a preliminary study for developing the capacities of the Lunar Surface Multi-Purpose Habitation Modules.