Gateway's HALO Module Arrived In The U.S.

Earlier this month, NASA released to the public a set of photos highlighting a newly arrived module for Gateway, a small space station that the agency aims to launch to lunar orbit in 2027.

That module is HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost), which will serve as a living and working space for astronauts aboard Gateway.

A cargo plane flew the HALO module to the U.S. from Turin, Italy, where it was constructed by the company Thales Alenia Space. The cargo plane landed at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport in Mesa, Arizona on 1 April.

The newly released photos give you a good feel for the size of the lunar module, which takes up most of the space in the plane’s large cargo hold.

The next stop for the HALO module was Northrop Grumman’s integration and test facility in Gilbert, Arizona, where it's undergoing final outfitting. Northrop Grumman is one of the contractors working on NASA’s Artemis program of moon exploration, which sees Gateway as a vital piece of infrastructure.

The agency says that the lunar station will help "chart a path of scientific discovery toward the first crewed missions to Mars," which will follow after NASA establishes a sustainable human presence on the moon — a key Artemis goal.