On August 28, the European Space Agency suddenly released the "Selene" manned Moon landing plan.
This was not a pre-implementation announcement but rather a typical PPT presentation, just the occasional brainstorming followed by some imaginative illustrations to lighten the mood.
The Selene plan was to use the power of the European Space Agency, with the UK and Italy taking the lead in developing the manned spacecraft, and Germany and France in charge of the landers, with a planned implementation around the year 2020.
What was particularly interesting was the rocket. The Selene plan would utilize a new rocket with a novel liquid oxygen kerosene core engine stage bundled with solid rocket boosters, launching the spacecraft and lander to the Moon's orbit in two phases and then docking to land.
The solid rocket boosters were the same EAP currently used by the Ariane 5, but the core stage rocket was intriguing—where would the engine come from? And, a reusable rocket?
