Teams from NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA), including astronauts Stan Love and Luca Parmitano, conducted human factors testing in Turin, Italy, this summer for the Gateway lunar space station, designed to orbit the Moon.
The testing occurred inside a mockup of Lunar I-Hab, one of four Gateway modules where astronauts will live and work. This phase is crucial for refining spacecraft design to enhance comfort and safety for future missions.
Lunar I-Hab, developed by ESA and Thales Alenia Space, is scheduled for launch on Artemis IV. The mission will transport four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft, which will be launched atop an upgraded Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, to deliver the module to Gateway.
Gateway's development involves international collaboration, with contributions from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and the Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Centre of the UAE, providing major hardware, including science experiments and life support systems.
Gateway will serve as a platform for astronauts to explore deep space and conduct scientific research as part of the Artemis campaign, which aims to return humans to the Moon and pave the way for future missions to Mars and beyond.