The location of Mount Etna was chosen due to its similarity to a lunar environment.
The exercise enables astronauts to practise remotely controlling a rover on the Moon.
The project, which began on June 12, will last for four weeks, concluding on July 9.
During the entire course of the mission, European astronaut Thomas Reiter has been controlling a rover from a room 23 kilometres away, in the Italian town of Catania.
“This distance simulates the sort of remote-control situations astronauts will encounter at the Lunar Gateway,” ESA said in a statement.
The rover, which is stationed 2600 metres up on the slopes of Mount Etna, is a 300-kilogram four-wheeled machine named ‘Interact’, and is equipped with gripper and camera arms, as well as a stereo camera mast.
Interact’s purpose on the Moon will be to gather soil and rock samples to be analysed on Earth.
“Week three will be a highlight of the project, with three live tests set to simulate both before and after the establishment of the Gateway, as well as how astronauts and rovers may in future work together on the lunar surface,” ESA’s statement continued.
The ability to rely on the robotic rovers will allow in-orbit astronauts to explore harsh and vast environments in space that could otherwise not be accessed.
