Brussels-based Space Applications Services has introduced its PUPPETEER gravity offloading system. Currently being developed in collaboration with the German space agency DLR, the system will initially be used to prepare astronauts for missions to the surface of the Moon.
The Space Applications Services PUPPETEER system uses the company’s “Constant Force Module”, which is attached to a robotic system that tracks astronauts or payloads that are attached to it and moves with them along a specialized framework above the training area. This allows users to move freely around the training area as their weight is offset, mimicking conditions on the lunar surface. According to the company, the system has significant advantages over traditional training methods like large diving pools and crane-assisted counter mass systems.
Space Applications Services expects an initial demonstration version of the PUPPETEER system to be completed by 2025. A fully operational system will then be integrated into ESA’s new LUNA facility in 2026.
“Training astronauts to operate in reduced gravity is a significant challenge, and Europe is at the forefront of advancing this capability,” said Guillaume Fau, PUPPETEER project manager and lead engineer. “ESA and DLR’s new LUNA facility in Cologne will be the first to implement the PUPPETEER system. Unlike traditional methods, such as mobile cranes or neutral buoyancy labs, PUPPETEER provides a more flexible approach with minimal constraints, offering greater precision in simulating Lunar or even Martian environments.”
The 700-square-metre LUNA facility has been built at ESA’s European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany. The facility, described by ESA as Europe’s “Moon on Earth,” is designed to be an analogue of the lunar surface for training and testing purposes. It will be operated jointly by ESA and DLR. Construction of LUNA began in October 2023 and the facility’s inauguration is scheduled for next week on 25 September.
