The Gateway’s Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO), a critical component of humanity’s first lunar space station, has reached Arizona, marking a significant milestone in NASA’s Artemis campaign. Fabricated by Thales Alenia Space in Turin, Italy, HALO’s primary structure arrived at the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport via cargo aircraft. It is now en route to Northrop Grumman’s Gilbert facility for its final outfitting.
HALO is one of the foundational modules of Gateway, designed to support NASA’s mission to return humans to the Moon and lay the groundwork for future crewed missions to Mars. Once assembled with the Power and Propulsion Element at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, it will be launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.
In lunar orbit, the HALO module will serve various critical functions. It will provide Artemis astronauts with essential living and working space and will be equipped to conduct scientific research and prepare for lunar surface missions. The module will feature capabilities for command and control, data handling, and energy storage, along with electrical power distribution and thermal regulation. It will also ensure communication and tracking capabilities via the Lunar Link system, courtesy of the European Space Agency (ESA).
The design of HALO includes multiple docking ports to accommodate visiting spacecraft such as NASA’s Orion, lunar landers, and logistics modules. The module will support both internal and external science payloads, enabling a range of research and technology demonstrations in the challenging environment of deep space.
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Built through collaboration between industry and international partners, the Gateway project aims to enhance sustainable lunar exploration. It will function as a hub for scientific endeavors and international collaboration, as well as serve as an experimental platform for technologies required for future human missions to Mars.
Additional high-resolution images of HALO are available for those interested in further details about this pivotal component of the Gateway lunar space station. For more updates and news, follow @NASAGateway and @NASA_Gateway on social media platforms. For further information, contact Laura Rochon at the Johnson Space Center.
