The team was made up of scientists from the VULCAN Facility, located at ESA’s site in the UK, and the LUNA Facility, located at ESA’s European Astronaut Centre in Germany.

Both centres, set to be inaugurated during 2024, are supporting the agency’s preparations for a sustainable, long-term human and robotic presence on Earth’s natural satellite.

Currently under development with the German Aerospace Center (DLR), LUNA will host a range of cutting-edge facilities including two testbeds that replicate the layer of rock and powdery dust – known as regolith – that blankets the Moon’s surface.