The Lunar Gateway: Humanity’s first space station around the Moon

   Humanity has been continuously living in space since October 2000, when the International Space Station welcomed its first Expedition crew of 3 astronauts.

   Since then, the ISS has become the foundation for preparing humans for a long-term deep space exploration mission, such as going back to the Moon or the first crewed mission to Mars or beyond.

   This objective is part of NASA's Artemis program, including the Lunar Gateway, humanity's first space station beyond Low Earth Orbit. NASA began its study for a Cislunar station in 2012 using knowledge from the International Space Station, and expected to launch its first two modules by 2025.

The Gateway consisted of 5 major modules, including:

• The Power and Propulsion Element, or PPE, supplies power and life support for the crew and space station. It also has solar electric ion propulsion for station-keeping and orbital maneuvers.
• The habitation and Logistics Outpost, or HALO, is the main living quarter and working space for visiting astronauts. This module has multiple docking ports for the Orion spacecraft, the lunar lander, and the future expansion of the Lunar Gateway.
• The Lunar I-HAB, provided by ESA and JAXA, helps expand working and living space for crewmembers, scheduled to launch in 2028 with the Artemis 4 mission.
• Crew and Science Airlock, provided by MBRSC, will permit crew and science experiment access to and from the vacuum of space outside the station.
• The Lunar View, provided by ESA, doubles as habitable space expansion and refueling the gateway in 2030 with the Artemis 5 mission. It is also equipped with large windows to allow astronauts to capture beautiful images from orbit.

   The Lunar Gateway is expected to welcome its first group of visitors in September 2028, with the arrival of the Artemis 4 mission, along with the assembly of the Lunar I-HAB module. Two astronauts will take the lunar lander to conduct Moon surface operations, while another two astronauts will stay in orbit with the Gateway.

   The difference between the Lunar Gateway and the International Space Station is that the Gateway will be smaller in size, and will not be continuously occupied by astronauts like the ISS. This was due to resource limitations, logistical difficulties, and radiation exposure, so the Lunar Gateway is designed to be able to operate remotely for up to 3 years.

   The Lunar Gateway is a collaboration between the United States, the European Space Agency, Japan, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates. While Russia was one of the partner nations in the beginning, they withdrew from the program in 2020 and joined the International Lunar Research Station or the ILRS with China since then.