ORLANDO, Fla. — When astronauts finally get back to the moon, Northrop Grumman has been given the funds by NASA to build the place where they will stay while in orbit.
The company finalized a contract with NASA for $935 million to develop the Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO), the part of the mini space station Gateway where crew will be able to live for short stays.
The Gateway is NASA’s planned orbiting way station for future lunar missions of the Artemis program that aim to have a repeated presence on the lunar surface, and prepare astronauts for eventual missions to Mars.
The fixed-price contract calls for Northrop Grumman to develop the HALO hardware, attach it to the Gateway’s Power and Propulsion Element being developed by Maxar Technologies on Earth and work with SpaceX to get it launched via a Falcon Heavy rocket by November 2024, and eventually get it into orbit around the moon.
“NASA is building the infrastructure to expand human exploration further out into the solar system than ever before, including Gateway, the lunar space station that will help us make inspirational scientific discoveries at and around the moon,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “Just as importantly, these investments will help NASA carry out the United States’ horizon goal: to further develop and test the technology and science needed for a human trip to Mars.”
Much smaller than the International Space Station, the Gateway will offer pressurized temporary living quarters about the size of a studio apartment, and act as a command center for lunar missions. It features docking ports for spacecraft like the Orion capsule that will fly to the moon on the Space Launch System, but also lunar landers and resupply craft.
Gateway has the option to grow in size with additional habitable elements in the future as well. Northrop Grumman is using its past experience with its Cygnus module, which is one of the resupply spacecraft for the ISS.
The company took $187 million previously awarded in 2020 by NASA to complete its preliminary design review for HALO in May, nailing down safety and reliability parameters for NASA.
“By leveraging our active Cygnus production line, Northrop Grumman can uniquely provide an affordable and reliable HALO module, in the timeframe needed to support NASA’s Artemis program,” said Steve Krein, Northrop Grumman’s vice president for civil and commercial satellites “Our team looks forward to continuing our collaboration with NASA in order to overcome the technical challenges associated with the harsh radiation and thermal environment of lunar space, as well as the unique challenge of hosting visiting crews for extended durations in this environment.”
The Artemis program looks to launch its first mission as early as November from Kennedy Space Center. Artemis I will be an uncrewed flight to the moon. Artemis II, which will fly with astronauts, but not land on the moon, is targeting 2023 and NASA is still aiming for 2024 for Artemis III, which aims to land the first astronauts, including the first woman, on the lunar surface, the first return to there since the end of the Apollo program in 1972.
The Gateway won’t be needed for the Artemis III mission, but would be used on successive missions that expect to fly at least once a year through the rest of the decade.
“This is a major step on the path for Artemis, not just for NASA, but for the combined team, including our commercial and international partners,” said Kathy Lueders, NASA associate administrator for Human Explorations and Operations. “Gateway will provide unprecedented access to the moon and symbolizes the expansion of our partnerships into deep space.”
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