The head of the European Space Agency informed AFP that they will discuss future involvement in NASA missions following the US space agency's overhaul of its lunar program.
The US space agency recently declared it is halting its Gateway lunar orbital space station initiatives to concentrate on constructing a base on the Moon's surface.
This made the European involvement in upcoming exploration uncertain. The ESA reached an agreement with NASA for three astronaut missions to Gateway.
"The Gateway has been delayed, so I must meet with the administrator, specifically Jared Isaacman, along with the NASA team, to discuss how the seats designated for the Gateway can be used for the surface," stated ESA chief Josef Aschbacher to AFP.
A German astronaut was scheduled to launch first, then a French astronaut, and subsequently an Italian.
Aschbacher spoke from the Kennedy Space Center, where phase two of the Artemis program advanced Wednesday with a successful rocket launch carrying three Americans and one Canadian astronaut on a mission to orbit the Moon.
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The director general of ESA stated, "this is a conversation that must occur at this moment."
"How many seats are available for the surface flight, or what conditions apply, or what countervalue does Europe need to contribute to this negotiation and conversation?" he stated.
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"The aim is to see Europeans walking on the Moon," stated Aschbacher, an Austrian who has led ESA since 2021.
Certainly, the aspiration, or goal, is that Europe ultimately creates its own technologies and capabilities to gain greater independence in human spaceflight.
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Europe was to supply parts of Gateway -- some already constructed, others in progress. The Japanese space agency (JAXA), a partner of NASA, was conducting similar initiatives and now has a Japanese astronaut planned to fly before the initial European.