Photo credit: www.nasa.gov
NASA is making significant strides in its collaboration with commercial and international partners as part of the Gateway program. Recently, the primary framework of the Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) has reached Northrop Grumman’s facility in Gilbert, Arizona, where it is set to undergo final outfitting and verification processes.
HALO is designed to provide Artemis astronauts with essential living and working space, as well as facilities for scientific research. The module will be equipped with critical systems such as command and control, data handling, energy storage, power distribution, and thermal regulation.
Following its arrival on April 1, after being assembled by Thales Alenia Space in Turin, Italy, NASA and Northrop Grumman held an event on April 24 to celebrate this milestone and highlight HALO’s role in lunar exploration. The event featured remarks from key figures including Lori Glaze, NASA’s Acting Associate Administrator for Exploration Systems Development; Jon Olansen, Gateway Program Manager; and astronaut Randy Bresnik. Attendees, which included local government officials and leaders from industry and academia, engaged with the HALO module and participated in virtual reality demonstrations during the facility tour.
While in Arizona, engineers and technicians will proceed with the installation of propellant lines for fluid transfer, as well as electrical lines for power and data connectivity. Additional tasks include attaching radiators for the thermal control system and installing racks for life support equipment, power systems, flight computers, and avionics. Mechanisms will also be integrated to facilitate the docking of the Orion spacecraft, lunar landers, and other visiting spacecraft.
On top of HALO will be the European Space Agency’s Lunar Link system, which will establish communication channels between crewed and robotic systems on the Moon and mission control on Earth. After installation, these components are scheduled for rigorous testing as an integrated spacecraft to prepare them for the extreme conditions of deep space.
Simultaneously, the Power and Propulsion Element—a robust solar electric propulsion system—is being developed at Maxar Space Systems in Palo Alto, California. This propulsion method utilizes energy harnessed from solar panels, converting it to electricity to generate xenon ions that are accelerated to over 50,000 miles per hour, providing thrust for the spacecraft.
The central cylinder of the element, which resembles a large barrel, is currently being connected to propulsion tanks, with avionics shelves also underway. Additionally, the first of three 12-kilowatt thrusters has been sent to NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland for acceptance testing prior to its delivery to Maxar for future integration with the Power and Propulsion Element later this year.
Source
www.nasa.gov