NASA orders Lunar Gateway’s crew cabin from Northrop Grumman

NASA has ordered another piece of the Lunar Gateway, which will serve as a space station for astronauts and equipment heading to the Moon and Mars under the Artemis Program. The space agency has awarded Northrup Grumman a $187 million contract to design the Gateway’s habitation and logistics outpost (HALO). That’s the pressurized living quarters where astronauts can stay while preparing for deep space missions.

The HALO cabin will be the size of small studio apartment and provide life support for spacefarers in tandem with NASA’s Orion spacecraft. Northrop Grumman based its design on its Cygnus spacecraft, which is being used to deliver supplies to the ISS. It will be assembled here on Earth and will make its way to lunar orbit alongside the outpost’s power and propulsion element (PPE).