Nasa finalises deal for design of lunar Gateway crew cabin

Nasa has finalised the contract for the design of the Gateway lunar space station’s crew cabin. Astronauts will dock at this outpost upon arriving in lunar orbit, before embarking on their descent to the surface of the moon.

The $187m (£147m) contract will allow Orbital Science Corporation in Dulles, Virginia, a wholly owned subsidiary of Northrop Grumman, to design the crew compartment. Known as the habitation and logistics outpost (Halo), progress will be reviewed at the end of this year and a second contract is then expected to cover its fabrication and its integration with the Gateway’s power and propulsion unit, currently being made by Maxar Technologies.

Halo will be based on Northrop Grumman’s existing Cygnus cargo craft that supplies the International Space Station. In July 2019, Nasa used this to justify circumventing its normal open tender competition policy, stating that only Northrop Grumman could supply the habitation module in time to meet the proposed 2024 landing date.

However, Nasa’s plans changed this year and while the Gateway remains a key component in Nasa’s aim of sustainable lunar exploration, it may now be bypassed altogether for the initial landing.