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If we want to send humans into space, we must provide and maintain breathable air. The system that performs this function in a spacecraft is called the Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS). The Technical University of Munich (TUM) has developed and tested a photobioreactor system that will add

The Norwegian aerospace company Nåva Space has successfully completed a field test campaign of its non-pressurized EVA suit development platform at the LUNA analogue facility in Cologne. The campaign marks an important step in the development of future European extravehicular activity (EVA) suit systems.

How reliably does communication work under moon-like conditions?
This central question was at the heart of a three-day test campaign at the LUNA analog facility in Cologne. For the first time, a joint ESA and DLR team tested the complete communication chain between the LUNA test site, the local

NASA has announced the two scientific instruments that astronauts will deploy and operate near the lunar South Pole during the second crewed lunar landing of the Artemis programme, Artemis IV, on December 4th, 2025. One of these instruments is the South Pole Seismic Station (SPSS), which consists of a seismometer

The LUNA Analog Facility team conducted a series of mission simulations called SAIL (Solar Array Installation in LUNA), which focused on the installation of a solar array under conditions similar to those found at the lunar south pole. The campaign provided an excellent opportunity to investigate both the technical and

From 25-28 November 2025, an extensive pre-test for the photobioreactor campaign took place in the LUNA hall. It was the first activity in LUNA to successfully utilise the new Monitoring and Control System for LUNA (MCS-L). The experimenters worked on site in the FLEXHab space habitat. The campaign team was

The ATAPP team (All Terrain Autonomous Planetary Prospector) consisting of students from various German universities and colleges, tested the limits of a rover in the LUNA hall. ATAPP is part of the VaMEx initiative which aims to explore the Valles Marineris on Mars.

In September 2025, the first student-organized mission took place at the LUNA Analog Facility: The CASIMAR team tested innovative astronaut tools under simulated lunar conditions. From September 10 to 12, the team from the German National Association of Student Spaceflight conducted its campaign to evaluate specially developed tools in an

When humans return to the Moon, they will need resources: Water ice can be used to produce rocket fuel or drinking water. Researchers have now used the Polar Explorer campaign to test measuring tools and robots that can find water ice on the moon.

Rough terrain, deep shadows and blinding light – training for lunar missions means facing an environment unlike anything on Earth. At the ESA-DLR LUNA analogue facility, virtual reality (VR) technology makes it possible for astronauts to immerse themselves in a 360-degree simulation of the lunar surface without leaving the ground.