The Gateway Space Station, set to begin construction in 2025, will consist of multiple modules for astronauts to live and work in.
A detailed 3D simulation of the Gateway space station. (Video: NASA/Bradley Reynolds/Alberto Bertolin)
By the end of this decade, humanity will have another space station in orbit: Gateway. However, unlike the International Space Station (ISS) or the Tiangong station, Gateway will not orbit low Earth orbit. Instead, it will operate in orbit around the Moon, becoming the first human space station in deep space.
NASA recently released a new video showcasing the impressive design of Gateway, as reported by IFL Science on July 6. Gateway is an international collaboration project involving NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre of the UAE (MBRSC). Construction is expected to commence in 2025 with the launch of two components of the station: the Logistics and Habitation Module and the Power and Propulsion Module.
The Power and Propulsion Module will transform Gateway into the most powerful solar electric spacecraft ever launched. This power is essential to maintain the station in a Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit (NRHO) – an orbit that is almost perpendicular to the Moon’s orbital plane. With this orbit, Gateway can fly as close as 3,000 km from the Moon’s south pole and as far as 70,000 km from the north pole. Astronauts will always maintain communication with Earth while working on the station.
Additionally, spacecraft will not require too much energy to enter NRHO from Earth or the Moon. The video recently released by NASA also depicts these spacecraft, including Orion and the Human Landing System (HLS).
NASA releases new video showing the impressive design of the Gateway space station.
In the video, the Orion spacecraft is docking with the Gateway’s Pressurized Science and Crew Module. Orion will be paired with NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) to transport astronauts from Earth into space. Meanwhile, the HLS will transport astronauts to and from the Moon’s south pole. NASA has contracted with SpaceX and Blue Origin to produce and supply the Starship HLS and Blue Moon HLS.
Delays in the Starship testing process could slow plans for Artemis 3 to become the first crewed landing on the Moon in decades, scheduled for September 2026. New analysis from the U.S. Government Accountability Office indicates that this mission may be pushed back to 2028. This will alter some key milestones in the Gateway construction process.
After Artemis 3, the Artemis 4 mission is expected to transport the Lunar I-Hab module, a structure developed by ESA and JAXA, to Gateway in 2028. Subsequently, other modules will be transported sequentially in future Artemis missions.
The first construction phase of the Gateway station is expected to conclude by 2031. Unlike the ISS, Gateway will not have a continuous human presence; however, astronauts will be there to plan and conduct missions to the Moon’s surface as well as carry out scientific experiments.
