Italy, July 25 -- Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), has signed a contract with the Italian Space Agency (ASI) to perform the preliminary design phase, including development of critical enabling technologies, of the pressurized Multi-Purpose Habitation (MPH) module for the lunar surface. Planned for launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in 2033, the MPH module will be the first ever dedicated habitation asset on the lunar surface as part of the Artemis Accords between NASA and ASI for bilateral Moon cooperation. The MPH module will safely host astronauts during their missions, support surface operations, enable scientific research experiments both with and without the presence of a human crew; an...