The heart of the future space station destined for the Moon's orbit was born in Italy.
This is the Halo (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) pressurized module, built at the facilities of the Franco-Italian company Thales Alenia Space (joint venture between Thales and Leonardo) in Turin.
The module is ready to be sent to Gilbert, in the United States, at the end of March, when the company Northrop Grumman will begin the internal assembly of the space.
The launch is scheduled for the end of 2027, as announced by Walter Cugno, vice president of exploration and science at Thales Alenia Space.
This is another fundamental step in the Artemis program, led by NASA and which aims to take astronauts back to the Moon after more than 50 years, with the participation of dozens of countries and organizations, including the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Italian Space Agency (ASI).
Halo will be the first core of the Gateway space station, where astronauts assigned to lunar missions will live and work. Its expected operational lifespan is 15 years, and all other components of the Gateway will be attached to it.
For Jon Olansen, responsible for the program at NASA, the module and the future station in lunar orbit represent the advancement of space exploration, especially in view of missions directed to Mars. (ANSA)
