This unique facility called LuneXplorer opened November 14, 2023 and resides in the gardens of La Cité de l’espace. It provides visitors to La Cité with an exciting immersive and realistic experience of what it is to be an astronaut preparing, going & then landing on the Moon.
The 40-minute experience features four stages of a Moon-landing mission:
1) Zone 1 - Preparation: accompanied by a scientific presenter, visitors discover and compare the lunar missions of yesterday (Apollo) and today with Artemis, the NASA mission in which ESA (European Space Agency is heavily involved. In this immersive and interactive space, visitors are familiarized with the essentials of an Earth to Moon mission from a ship to an astronaut’s luggage.
2. Zone 2 - Briefing: In groups of forty people, 10 crews of four astronauts are formed in the briefing room. Then, via video ESA astronauts Thomas Pesquet, Claudie Haigneré, Samantha Cristoforetti and Matthias Maurer, , explain to the participants how their “Mission to the Moon” will unfold, the sequences and the actions to be carried out on board.
3. Zone 3 Mission: Participants board their 4-person capsules inspired by current spaceships. This ten-minute mission, includes a five-minute dynamic phase: Countdown, acceleration and transfer phases, up to the moon landing. The “astronauts” experience realistic sensations, such as performing tasks while being pinned to their seats etc…as well as communication with Mission Control.
4. Zone 4 - Debriefing: On exiting the space capsule, each participant goes to the lunar landing stage for a debriefing session with the ESA astronauts via video. They will be briefed on upcoming lunar missions and received a personal mission date kit.
About La Cité de l’espace | www.cite-espace.com
Opened in 1997, the Cité de l'Espace celebrates the great epic of the space adventure. Designed as a theme park, there are 3D spaces, replicas of mythical rockets and satellites and amazing experiences: weightlessness, putting on an astronaut's suit, taking part in a rocket launch, observing the stars live and even touching a moon rock.
