ADTLAS

A renewed global interest in human missions to the Moon is driving the development of a new generation of spaceflight systems designed to support future astronauts living and working in the extreme lunar environment.

Designing such solutions requires careful consideration of the unique challenges and limitations posed by a range of programmatic, environmental, operational, and human factors that may significantly differ from established terrestrial conditions. This includes elements such as the reduced lunar gravity, dust mitigation, limited field of view and mobility imposed by spacesuits, impaired spatial orientation in vast achromatic landscapes, extreme lighting conditions, and other factors that are difficult – or impossible – to realistically reproduce on Earth.

In close collaboration with the European Space Agency and a network of industry partners, the ADTLAS project will utilize advanced topographic 3D modeling techniques to produce high-fidelity digital replicas of the lunar environment and relevant lunar surface systems. By subsequently employing XR technology to augment existing physical testbeds with such digital twin elements,  the project will enable the simulation of lunar conditions that cannot be replicated through conventional means, such as large-scale achromatic landscapes, the absence of atmospheric light scattering, and various effects of regolith contamination under hypogravity.

Similarly, by making engineering concepts and intended project outcomes available for remote review in real-time, fully virtualized digital twins will help facilitate coordination and collaboration between stakeholders across departments, organizations and countries, fostering more efficient, transparent, and inclusive design processes.

Ultimately, this project aims to enhance design, engineering, and preparatory activities surrounding future human missions to the Moon. By fostering a wider adoption of digital twin methodologies within the European space sector, ADTLAS will help accelerate innovation, reduce development costs, and enable a wider participation in shaping the future of human space exploration.

The ADTLAS project consortium currently comprises Fraunhofer FIT, the European Space Agency (ESA), Coesia, FusionLayer, WEKIT ECS, and Lunar Habitato, and World of VR.

The ADTLAS project is part of our wider activities in human-centered technologies for space exploration.