Moon habitat designs have evolved over the years as mankind’s knowledge about the lunar surface has grown, and as the technology progressed. They range from spacecraft landers, used rocket fuel tanks, inflatable structures, but most were not able to withstand the hazards of the lunar environment, like extreme temperature shifts, little to no atmosphere or magnetic field and long nights. The LUNARK Moon Habitat aims to change that.
NASA’s 2024 Artemis mission will mark the return humans of human to the Moon, and SAGA Space Architects wants to make their stay as comfortable as possible. Created by Sebastian Aristotelis and Karl-Johan Sørensen, the LUNARK Moon Habitat is currently being tested in Northern Greenland, a region that experiences Moon-like weather, complete with temperature shifts that dip down to below 30 degrees.
Its modular structure will enable the duo to easily transport, build and reconfigure it with ease, while an Earth-like life support system has been proposed to make inhabitants feel at home. They are set to conduct a three-month expedition to test the habitat’s solar panel skin as well as its zero waste ecosystem, and the mission begins April 2020.
