Danish Aerospace Company to build prototype of exercise equipment for the Moon and eventually Mars

Core Points - Danish Aerospace Company A/S (DAC) has signed a contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) to develop a prototype exercise device for the Lunar Gateway space station, which will eventually be used for human missions to Mars [1][3][8] - The Lunar Gateway is a collaborative project involving NASA, ESA, Japan, and Canada, with initial operations expected to begin around 2028 [2] - The contract is valued at approximately EUR 580,000 (DKK 4.3 million) and will last for about six months [7][8] Company Overview - DAC has over three decades of experience supplying exercise and medical monitoring equipment for space missions, including the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station (ISS) [3] - The company specializes in advanced medical instrumentation and engineering fields primarily within space applications [9][10] - DAC's products are based on extensive research and development, focusing on reliability in space environments [10][12] Project Details - Amentum Clean Energy will act as a subcontractor, contributing to the development of a vibration damping system to prevent exercise-induced vibrations from affecting the Lunar Gateway [4][5] - The new exercise device will incorporate a jumping exercise to enhance astronauts' bone, muscle, and cardiovascular health during space missions [4][8] - The prototype must meet unique requirements due to the higher background radiation and limited space in the HALO module compared to the ISS [6]