Exploring the lunar south pole in virtual reality
The Moon has captivated humanity since time immemorial. More than five decades after the Apollo programme, global attention is once again turning to our natural satellite. As part of NASA’s Artemis programme, humans are set to land on the Moon for the first time since 1972.
In April 2026, the Artemis II crew orbited the Moon aboard a spacecraft powered by a European propulsion unit – the European Service Module (ESM). Thanks to international cooperation within the Artemis programme, people from several countries will fly to the Moon in the coming years. The first European crew member to do so will come from Germany.
With Moon VR, visitors can experience what it feels like to walk on the lunar surface as an astronaut. The virtual environment recreates a landing site at the lunar south pole – a region no human has ever visited, but one that is likely to become the setting for future lunar landings. In the simulation, visitors can explore robotic and crewed lunar landers and interact with various objects on the surface. Both gravity and lighting conditions are rendered realistically, fully immersing visitors in the lunar world.
The virtual reality application was developed at the XR lab of the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne. It is used to prepare astronauts for upcoming missions and allows engineers and researchers to test equipment they have developed in an environment that is as realistic as possible. It also gives everyone the chance to take a walk on the Moon and experience the fascination of this alien world for themselves.
Link:
German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR)
German Space Agency at DLR
E-Mail contact-dlr@DLR.de
VR-Modell des Mond-Südpols
Quelle: ESA