Prototype of Lunar Human Landing System Tested

NASA astronauts Nicolas Mann and Dag Wilcox have successfully tested a scaled-down prototype of SpaceX's Starship Human Landing System (HLS). This system is intended to land crew members of the Artemis III and Artemis IV missions on the surface of the Moon in the future. This information was released in a statement on the American space agency's website.

The lunar lander model was built at SpaceX's facility in Hawthorne, California. It is a segment of a capsule, equipped with operational mechanisms and controls. During the tests, astronauts wore space suits to simulate the mobility restrictions they will encounter on the Moon.

It is expected that the HLS Starship landing will allow a two-person Artemis crew to travel between the Moon and the Orion spacecraft in lunar orbit, where the rest of the crew will be stationed at that time.

The Artemis III mission, aimed at landing humans on the Moon, is scheduled for 2025.