Forward basis for astronauts
Although it has no plans to be a long-term place of residence, Gateway will serve as a forward-thinking base for astronauts in Artemis' moon missions from the 2030s onwards.
Many people think Gateway is NASA's main project, but in fact it is an international effort. Countries such as Europe, Japan, Canada and the United Arab Emirates all contributed to this project.
NASA has released a 3D summarization of Gateway, showing what the station will look like when completed. The station's center is the Front-of-Residence and Logistics Station (HALO) modular, a cylindrical area that will act as half of Gateway's main crew area.
Gateway will not be a fixed fortress in space but will be more like a forward base. The astronauts will use Gateway as a center for operations, living and working there when not on the Moon's surface.
HALO will be Gateway's command and communication modular. During times when Gateway is unided, the modular will contain software that allows the station to operate largely on its own. HALO will also include some of Gateway's science projects, such as radiation measurement devices inside the modules.
One end of HALO is Gateway's Power and Push-Ups (PPE), the station's main source of energy. The PPE will use a pair of solar panels to generate 60 kilowatts of electricity, which provide power to the station's power thrust system, helping Gateway stay in a high-fficulty trajectory.
HALO and PPE will form the original seed of Gateway, and if everything goes as planned, they will reach the Moon in time for the Artemis IV mission in 2028. At the other end of HALO is the I- Habitation of the Moon modular, jointly built by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Research Agency (JAXA). I- Hab will be the crew's accommodation and sleeping place, including a dining room, a bedside area and a fitness area.
External parts
Alongside I- Hab, a gilded cylinder called Lunar View will act as an expanded package for Gateway. Lunar View will carry small trucks of cargo and additional fuel for PPE. The modular will also have Gateway's six largest windows, allowing residents to admire the lunar landscape.
In addition, NASA's video also shows a glideshow of Gateway's full operation with three spacecraft attached to the station. The Orion will be the means for space planets to travel to and from Earth, the Deep Space Logistics (DLS) cargo spacecraft will carry equipment and supplies, and the Human Landing System (HLS) will take space planets to the surface of the Moon.
Gateway will also carry some scientific payloads, such as the European radiation sensor (ERSA) for measuring space radiation and NASA's radiation and solar physical environment measurement laboratory (HERMES). These experiments will provide important information to prepare for longer and further missions in the future, possibly crew trips to Mars.
