Leonardo-Finmeccanica to build moon probe

(ANSA) - Rome, July 12 - Italian aerospace giant Leonardo-Finmeccanica is to build a probe for examining the moon's surface much deeper than previously thought possible, the Italian company said Tuesday.
    Leonardo will spend two years developing the PROSPECT probe, a key part of a European Space Agency project in collaboration with the Russian Space Agency to examine lunar soil with a view to setting up a permanent base.
    In a statement on its website, Leonardo said: "Today at the Farnborough Air Show, Leonardo-Finmeccanica has signed a contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) to develop the system that will allow Europe to analyse the Moon's subsoil. "The project will see Leonardo engaged for two years in the design, construction and testing of the PROSPECT prototype, a key European contribution to Luna-Resurs, a partnership between ESA and Roscosmos (the Russian Space Agency) with support from the Italian and UK Space Agencies. "Luna-Resurs should land a probe weighing approximately one tonne on the Moon in 2021, to search for water and raw materials that might be used for building a future permanent base.