The new Cislunar Gateway station will serve as a base for robotic surface missions to remotely control the first lunar settlements. The interior habitat, based on Thales Alenia Space’s long experience, will be an evolution of the International Space Station’s pressurised modules, optimised for use in deep Space. The main objective of Design for Space is to increase the comfort and performance of the astronauts, and thus the success of a mission, by transforming the habitat into an autonomous organism capable of protecting and supporting the crew, especially if we live on the Moon and Mars in the future.

The Rolling Space Habitat project focuses on safety, in particular on the need to protect crew members from the effects of radiation, but also on how to increase comfort while ensuring a sense of privacy.

The exterior structure consists of a shielding system made of modular “pockets” of water, which the most disruptive research in the field of solar radiation points to as the preferred insulator. The bags, inspired by the movement of a simple bellows, are designed to expand and compress to provide astronauts with enough protection depending on the intensity of the solar storm.

Inside, the space is multiplied by integrated screens to allow a wider and more varied perception, while through the rotation of habitable “rings” different configurations and private places can be created to offer a comfortable personal refuge in which to relax.