Leonardo DiCaprio, investor, continues to support responsible lunar exploration enabled by space-based LiDAR.

NUVIEW GmbH announced that its Moonraker mission has been selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) for a Phase A study under ESA’s Small Missions for Exploration – Destination the Moon program. NUVIEW serves as prime contractor and leads an international consortium advancing space-based LiDAR for lunar terrain mapping.

Moonraker will deploy a LiDAR-equipped spacecraft into lunar orbit to generate high-resolution, three-dimensional elevation data of the Moon’s polar regions and other priority areas. The resulting terrain models will support landing site identification, hazard assessment and surface planning for future robotic and human missions.

“Moonraker is a direct extension of our commercial LiDAR architecture into lunar orbit,” said Katie Graumann, CEO of NUVIEW Germany. “By adapting the systems we are deploying for Earth observation, we can provide reliable, mission-critical terrain data that helps reduce risk for future lunar landings and surface operations.”

The mission will focus on the lunar South Pole and other select areas of interest, including permanently shadowed regions, where accurate terrain data is critical for evaluating potential landing sites and supporting future exploration and resource utilization activities. LiDAR data collected by Moonraker will be downlinked directly to Earth and processed into three-dimensional Digital Elevation Models to support mission planning and analysis.

Actor and environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio, investor in NUVIEW, emphasized the broader importance of accurate terrain intelligence for responsible exploration: “Understanding the Moon through high resolution 3D mapping allows us to make smarter, safer decisions. Technologies like NUVIEW’s space-based LiDAR strengthen exploration while reinforcing the importance of Earth observation and environmental intelligence as humanity expands beyond our planet.”

Moonraker contributes to ESA’s broader lunar exploration objectives, supporting European leadership in the development of long-term lunar surface architecture.

NUVIEW Germany, described in the article, is a wholly owned subsidiary of NUVIEW in Lake Nona.

NUVIEW is developing the world’s first commercial space-based LiDAR satellite constellation to provide persistent, global 3D elevation data from orbit. As the first mover in space-based LiDAR, NUVIEW combines cutting-edge satellite, sensor and software technology to deliver high-resolution, high-density data with applications across climate, infrastructure, agriculture, national mapping, intelligence and defense. Follow NUVIEW on LinkedIn and X and learn more at nuview.space.