NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Doug “Wheels” Wheelock recently took part in a test of a mockup elevator that was built to scale for SpaceX’s Starship human landing system, which is intended to be utilized on NASA’s Artemis III and IV lunar missions. During the crew members’ roughly one-week stay on the Moon, the Starship human landing system will transport two humans from the Orion spacecraft in lunar orbit to the surface and back to Orion.

When the crew and equipment depart for moonwalks, the elevator will carry them from the lunar surface to Starship’s livable section, which is situated close to the top of the lander. During the test, the astronauts were able to engage with an elevator system that resembled a flight. This gave them the opportunity to see the hardware in action and get insightful input from other crew members.

The elevator mockup, which was constructed at SpaceX’s Hawthorne, California site, features a full-scale basket section with operational mechanical assembly and crew interfaces for testing. NASA astronauts performed the demonstration while dressed in spacesuits that replicate the size and mobility restrictions that the crew will experience on the Moon. The crew of Artemis III will don brand-new, cutting-edge spacesuits that Axiom Space is developing.

The suited crew offered input on elevator controls, including dynamic operations while the basket traveled along a vertical rail system, gate locks, ramp deployment interfaces for entering and exiting the elevator basket, and available space for cargo.

In order to study more of the lunar surface than ever before and get ready to bring people to Mars for the sake of all, NASA is planning to land the first woman and person of color on the moon under Artemis. The Space Launch System rocket, Orion ship, upgraded spacesuits and rovers, and the Gateway in lunar orbit are all essential components of the deep space exploration architecture, as is the human landing system.