Joint assignment: Moon mission
From Moon lookalike to special satellites: Germany is providing significant innovations for humankind’s return to the Moon.
LUNA Analog Facility: The Moon on Earth
The Moon is now also located in Cologne: researchers there have recently been able to explore the Earth’s secondary planet. The LUNA Analog Facility simulates the conditions on the Moon’s surface. This globally unique research centre, a collaborative project between the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) and the European Space Agency (ESA), prepares astronauts and robots for deployment on the Moon. An impressive landscape has accordingly been created in a 700 square metre hangar filled with “moon dust”, which is deceptively similar to that of the genuine regolith. Even the stones and rocks resemble the Moon’s geology and a sun simulator generates light conditions similar to those on the Moon.
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European Moon Mission control centre: Keeping an eye on the Moon from Bavaria
Oberpfaffenhofen is a tranquil village in Upper Bavaria – and yet also one of the DLR’s largest research locations in Germany, with around 2,000 staff and 13 research institutions. Some 75 individuals in the Columbus control centre here manage the European activities on the international space station (ISS), which will continue to operate until at least 2028. The expansion of this control centre was announced in spring 2024. Its future purpose will be to support astronauts on their missions to the Moon and to bear European responsibility for operating the Lunar Gateway, the planned outpost for humankind in outer space that will orbit the Moon and act as a base for its exploration.
Small satellite TACHELES is to be on board the Artemis II mission
It’s the size of a shoe box and has an interesting name: TACHELES is a small satellite from the Berlin-based company NEUROSPACE. Its name is derived from Yiddish and in German it relates to clear communication. The German phrase “Tacheles reden” means to engage in some straight talking. Getting to the point is what TACHELES contributes. The Artemis II mission to the Moon, which is due to commence in September 2025, will involve the satellite orbiting the Earth’s secondary planet several times in the spacecraft and gathering insights that are intended to prepare for the Moon landing with Artemis III in 2026. During its flight through space, TACHELES will test the electrical components on the rover for the Artemis mission – an important step towards renewed exploration of the Moon.
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