{"id":489992,"date":"2026-06-09T03:33:39","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T03:33:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/489992\/"},"modified":"2026-06-09T03:33:39","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T03:33:39","slug":"i-went-inside-the-fake-moon-base-where-astronauts-prepare-for-real-lunar-missions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/489992\/","title":{"rendered":"I went inside the fake Moon base where astronauts prepare for real lunar missions"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u2018Magnificent desolation.\u2019 That\u2019s how Buzz Aldrin<\/a>, the second man on the Moon<\/a>, described the landscape of our nearest cosmic neighbour, back in 1969<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I couldn\u2019t agree more. There\u2019s no vegetation in sight, let alone insects or birds \u2013 just colourless rocks, stones, gravel and dust. The sky above is completely dark, but a blindingly bright light<\/a>, low above the razor-sharp horizon, casts long, black shadows.<\/p>\n

It would be fascinating to hear Aldrin\u2019s thoughts on how realistic the scenery is. After all, it\u2019s not the Moon (of course) \u2013 it\u2019s the LUNA Analog Facility<\/a>, a European training area for future Moon-bound astronauts.<\/p>\n

Located on the grounds of the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) in Cologne, the facility is a joint program of DLR and the European Space Agency (ESA).<\/p>\n

Although a similar facility is under construction in Texas, in the US, LUNA is currently \u201cunique in the world,\u201d says project manager and space engineer Andrea Casini<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"AstronautAstronaut Buzz Aldrin walks on the (real) Moon during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969 – Image credit: Wikimedia Commons<\/p>\n

Erected next to the European Astronaut Centre, LUNA is, essentially, a 700m2 (7,500 square foot) windowless hall, filled with 900 tonnes of makeshift lunar dust<\/a>, known as regolith.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But this isn\u2019t just a fancy sandbox for adults who want to play astronaut, says Casini. \u201cWe do everything we can to approximate reality as closely as possible, in a controlled way,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Almost sixty years after the legendary Apollo missions, NASA is again preparing for boots on the Moon. Despite being plagued by delays, the Artemis<\/a> program is definitely underway; the first crewed landing is expected before the decade is out.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut this time, it\u2019s not about a quick visit to plant a flag,\u201d says Casini. \u201cArtemis is the first step toward longer stays on the Moon, comparable to astronaut visits to the International Space Station (ISS).\u201d<\/p>\n

Moreover, he adds, while Apollo was a fast, risky, Cold War-driven endeavour, Artemis follows a more secure approach.<\/p>\n

Part of that approach is extensive training, as well as technology development and testing in Moon-like environments. \u201cAfter all, if your instrument doesn\u2019t survive LUNA, it\u2019s not fit for the Moon,\u201d says Casini.<\/p>\n

While regular astronaut training is still yet to commence, plenty of technology tests have already been carried out.<\/p>\n

For example, engineers have tested the Handheld Universal Lunar Camera<\/a> (HULC), which has been developed by ESA and NASA\u2019s Artemis imagery team to capture high-definition imagery on the Moon \u2013 and designed to withstand its harsh environment.<\/p>\n

And, last year, German astronaut Matthias Maurer entered the LUNA facility wearing a new carbon-fibre, sensor-laden Moon suit<\/a>. Designed by Norwegian space company N\u00e5va Space, it\u2019s the first commercially available spacesuit in Europe.<\/p>\n

\"ESAESA astronaut Matthias Maurer wearing the N\u00e5va suit in LUNA – Image credit: N\u00e5va\/D. Holbrook<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t have to be a European astronaut to use the facility.<\/p>\n

Indeed, Japanese scientists have already worked in LUNA, together with Luxembourg-based space company ispace-Europe, to test Moon-bound equipment in the simulated environment.<\/p>\n

(ispace-Europe was one of LUNA\u2019s first commercial clients; it built the small TENACIOUS rover for the Japanese lunar lander Resilience, which unfortunately crashed on the Moon in June 2025).<\/p>\n

Weird circumstances<\/p>\n

A huge window in the facility looks down over the training area below, a boxed-in lunar landscape like something out of Stanley Kubrick\u2019s science fiction classic 2001: A Space Odyssey.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a bank of simulated regolith you can touch \u2013 the powdery black grains are small enough to fill in my fingerprints.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s basaltic sand that has been ground down industrially to match the properties of the real stuff,\u201d says Judith Ewald<\/a>, LUNA\u2019s operations manager.<\/p>\n

\u201cPart of it is quarried from a volcanic field in the German Eifel mountains<\/a>, but we also use material from the N\u00f6rdlinger Ries impact crater in Bavaria.\u201d<\/p>\n

The dust is an important consideration when designing lunar equipment as the fine powder can get everywhere (polluting, for example, Moon suits \u2013 as it did with those of the Apollo astronauts).<\/p>\n

So, simulating the real regolith as closely as possible is an important part of testing the locomotion of rovers, or the way in which the tiny grains might work their way into delicate science instruments.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe 700m2 (7,500 square foot) hall is filled with replica lunar dust – Image credit: ESA\/DLR<\/p>\n

Down below, two small figures wearing special suits and helmets walk slowly between stones and boulders \u2013 there\u2019s even a large crater with steep walls, as well as a number of smaller depressions.<\/p>\n

As Ewald explains, one part of the training area is about 3m (9.8ft) deep and contains various artefacts \u2013 and even a small sub-surface tunnel that mimics those on the Moon that were carved out by lava billions of years ago.<\/p>\n

In this Deep Floor Area, technicians evaluate the performance of seismic equipment and ground-penetrating radar instruments, and it can also be used to test sampling and drilling activities.<\/p>\n

The idea is to provide astronauts with as much hands-on experience as possible in preparation for a real trip to the Moon.<\/p>\n

\u201cTraining is absolutely necessary, and extremely useful,\u201d says former ESA astronaut Andr\u00e9 Kuipers<\/a>, who has been to the ISS twice.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve benefited most from simulations in which you worked with real equipment. Such hands-on training provides a form of \u2018muscle memory<\/a>\u2019 that you still remember years later. Training for the Moon is essential, and luckily, many of its weird circumstances can be simulated here on Earth.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the surface<\/p>\n

In a changing room downstairs, I\u2019m made to don a white coverall, a hairnet, shoe covers and a face mask, as if I\u2019m about to enter an industrial clean room.<\/p>\n

\"SimulatedSimulated moonwalks at Europe\u2019s \u2018Moon on Earth\u2019, the LUNA Analog Facility in Germany – Image credit: ESA\/DLR<\/p>\n

You want the test area to remain as Moon-like as possible, after all, without any \u2018terrestrial\u2019 dust. And vice versa: bringing the powdery regolith simulant back into the attached office spaces would be a real nuisance.<\/p>\n

Casini opens the large roller door that provides access to the LUNA training area. This is as close as I\u2019ll ever get to actually stepping on the Moon.<\/p>\n

Of the two figures in the test area, one is Oliver K\u00fcchemann<\/a>, a DLR software engineer. He and his colleague are carrying out tests with a small four-wheeled lunar rover. Rover tests typically check how they behave on the dusty and accidented terrain.<\/p>\n

Some are even equipped with instruments to detect the presence of sub-surface ice or water molecules in rocks \u2013 experiments that will certainly take place on the real Moon.<\/p>\n

K\u00fcchemann operates a console with a joystick and a screen showing the view from a small camera on the craft\u2019s front. Navigating the rover around rocks and pits takes a lot of skill \u2013 especially given all the dark shadows.<\/p>\n

\"AThe fake lunar surface allows for robotic testing – Image credit: ESA\/DLR<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, we can\u2019t simulate everything here,\u201d says Casini. \u201cTo gain experience with much larger rovers, or with much longer excursions, field trips remain absolutely necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n

For example, geology training \u2013 to recognise different types of rock \u2013 is often offered out in the open \u2013 in Norway, for instance, or on the volcanic island of Lanzarote.<\/p>\n

\u201cLUNA is essential,\u201d Casini explains, \u201cbut just like in football, we are one player in a big team where every member has its own unique quality.\u201d<\/p>\n

If the laboratory experiments and field excursions are the other players, the game is preparing for crewed lunar missions.<\/p>\n

In one corner of the training area, partially hidden by one of the black walls, is a full-scale mock-up of the uncrewed Argonaut lunar lander<\/a> being developed by ESA and Thales Alenia Space.<\/p>\n

One day, Argonaut may deliver cargo and provide power for Artemis missions, so it makes sense to allow astronauts to acquaint themselves with the craft here in LUNA.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the two commercial spacecraft that NASA has chosen to actually take people to the surface of the Moon \u2013 SpaceX\u2019s Starship and Blue Origin\u2019s Blue Moon Mark 2 \u2013 are too large to fit in the Cologne facility.<\/p>\n

Training with these spacecraft is likely to happen at the facilities of these companies.<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/p>\n

Eternal light<\/p>\n

At the time of writing, the Artemis program is still very much in flux. The uncrewed Artemis I flight around the Moon was successfully carried out in November 2022.<\/p>\n

The world watched as Artemis II<\/a>, which lifted off on 1 April 2026, took astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen further than humans have ever travelled from Earth, on a loop around the Moon.<\/p>\n

The crew splashed down off the coast of San Diego, in the US, on 10 April.<\/p>\n

In February 2026, NASA administrator Jared Isaacman announced that Artemis III will conduct rendezvous and docking tests in low-Earth orbit in 2027.<\/p>\n

Only with Artemis IV will people finally return to the Moon \u2013 no sooner than 2028, but probably later, as many aspects of the mission still have to be developed and tested.<\/p>\n

One thing\u2019s for sure, though: the first crewed lunar landing since Apollo 17 will take place relatively close to the Moon\u2019s south pole.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the preferred location for a future Moon base<\/a>, as deep craters with permanently shadowed floors contain valuable ice deposits, while high \u2018peaks of eternal light\u2019 \u2013 high-altitude regions where the Sun<\/a> almost never sets \u2013 are ideal to generate electricity with photovoltaic cells.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Artemis II crew were the first to return to the Moon in over half a century with their lunar flyby – Image credit: NASA\/Kim Shiflett<\/p>\n

It\u2019s one of the \u201cweird conditions\u201d of the Moon Kuipers referred to, and it all has to do with the low altitude of the Sun as seen from the south polar region of the Moon.<\/p>\n

This special circumstance is simulated in LUNA with a giant spotlight on one of the walls. Even though the spotlight isn\u2019t nearly as bright as the real Sun, it creates long, utterly black shadows that make this high-contrast landscape so disorienting.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s another hurdle astronauts will have to navigate during their missions.<\/p>\n

But, according to Ewald, LUNA\u2019s Sun simulator will soon be replaced by a moveable lamp, to replicate more lighting conditions. It\u2019s just one of the planned improvements for the facility.<\/p>\n

After all, on the real Moon, astronauts will experience continually changing shadows, albeit at a very slow pace. This is because the Moon rotates around its axis only once every four weeks, making it harder for astronauts to recognise what they\u2019re seeing.<\/p>\n

Another future addition will be the installation of a controllable ramp to test various operations on steeper terrain, up to slopes of 50 degrees.<\/p>\n

And \u2018mixed reality\u2019 goggles will provide astronauts with a view across vast stretches of virtual lunar landscape, replacing the black walls of the hall.<\/p>\n

What’s next?<\/p>\n

Just outside the main LUNA building sits a shipping container that\u2019s been converted into a 28m2 (301 square foot) space habitat called FLEXhab.<\/p>\n

Yes, it will be many years before the Artemis program can give rise to a lunar base with rotating crews (like on the ISS), but FLEXhab offers a taste of things to come. Currently, the campervan-like interior is fit for a crew of four.<\/p>\n

Similar isolation studies by various space agencies have aimed to prepare astronauts for prolonged visits to the ISS, or even for space trips to Mars.<\/p>\n

In 2010\u20132011, for example, the Russian Academy of Sciences carried out the MARS-500 study<\/a>, in which six crew members were sealed off for 520 days in a facility no larger than your average house.<\/p>\n

And, in 2023, NASA\u2019s Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA<\/a>) began a series of missions to simulate Mars<\/a>, locking four crew members in their \u2018Mars Dune Alpha<\/a>\u2019 habitat that simulates the conditions of the Red Planet. They stayed in there for 378 days.<\/p>\n

Again and again<\/a> in space missions, psychological issues turned out to pose the greatest challenge: people start to get on each other\u2019s nerves, tension builds, communication issues develop.<\/p>\n

And research<\/a> has also shown that disruption to circadian rhythms plus the effects of radiation and microgravity can all worsen cognitive health.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe psychological challenges of cramped living quarters is one of the biggest hurdles in the race to return to space \u2013 and stay there. Whether LUNA\u2019s FLEXhab can fix this is yet to be seen – Image credit: ESA\/DLR<\/p>\n

FLEXhab can\u2019t remove all of these hazards. But its solution? Cosy, Danish-designed interiors. \u201cIt looks much more friendly than the interior of the ISS, which is basically a messy laboratory environment,\u201d says Casini.<\/p>\n

While the first isolation studies in FLEXhab (likely to last weeks rather than months) have yet to begin, the facility currently hosts supporting experiments.<\/p>\n

In February 2026, for example, scientists from the Technical University Munich tested<\/a> a so-called \u2018photobioreactor\u2019, in which micro-algae remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and put back oxygen (mimicking what trees do on Earth).<\/p>\n

Such life support systems will be indispensable in future Moon missions.<\/p>\n

In the near future, astronauts may be able to experiment with growing their own food in a small greenhouse (called EDEN<\/a>, which stands for the \u2018evolution and design of environmentally-closed nutrition sources), using recycled urine to water the plants.<\/p>\n

EDEN, FLEXhab and LUNA will all be connected by corridors, making it easier to simulate longer stays on the Moon, including excursions on the barren surface.<\/p>\n

Yet there\u2019s still work to be done.<\/p>\n

When you think of astronauts on the Moon, you probably imagine those slow hops and somersaults in the low lunar gravity<\/a> \u2013 the same ones the world saw on grainy video broadcasts of the Apollo landings.<\/p>\n

But, when everything weighs only one-sixth as it does on Earth, how can you simulate these conditions in an Earth-based facility?<\/p>\n

According to astronaut Kuipers, training for zero-gravity conditions traditionally happens in huge swimming pools, where buoyancy provides a sense of weightlessness.<\/p>\n

By increasing the weight of your spacesuit \u2013 which doubles as a diving suit \u2013 you can simulate lunar gravity.<\/p>\n

\"CGLUNA\u2019s planned Puppeteer system hopes to simulate lunar gravity – Image credit: ESA\/DLR<\/p>\n

It\u2019s why the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne has its own 10m (33ft)-deep \u2018Neutral Buoyancy Facility<\/a>\u2019, as it\u2019s officially called. The pool was used to investigate moonwalk procedures in a French project called Moondive.<\/p>\n

But in a swimming pool, your body movements are severely impacted by the mass of the surrounding water, and of course there\u2019s no Moon dust to tread on.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why LUNA engineers, together with technicians from Space Applications Services, are building a gravity-offloading system called Puppeteer<\/a>. A small prototype has already been installed in one corner of the LUNA training area.<\/p>\n

Like puppets on a string, astronauts will be attached on long cables that glide across rails on the ceiling. The cables are essentially huge springs, mimicking the feeling of bouncing around in a low-gravity environment.<\/p>\n

The final Puppeteer system, covering the full expanse of the training area, is expected to be completed in the summer of 2027, says Ewald.<\/p>\n

Luckily, leaving LUNA doesn\u2019t require boarding a tiny space capsule and re-entering Earth\u2019s atmosphere. Even after extensive training sessions, a real trip to the Moon will always be a tremendously challenging endeavour.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s one other thing LUNA is missing, and that\u2019s the view of our own planet. When Buzz Aldrin reflected on his lunar experiences, he said he \u201ccould see our shining blue planet Earth poised in the darkness of space.\u201d<\/p>\n

While this could surely be projected behind the glowing light of LUNA\u2019s false Sun, perhaps it\u2019s a view best reserved for those who eventually return to the real Moon\u2019s magnificently desolate surface.<\/p>\n

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