{"id":61617,"date":"2026-08-07T00:24:53","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T16:24:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/nasa-northrop-grumman-repurpose-gateway-elements-for-moon-base-demo-missions\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T11:53:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T03:53:34","slug":"nasa-northrop-grumman-repurpose-gateway-elements-for-moon-base-demo-missions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/nasa-northrop-grumman-repurpose-gateway-elements-for-moon-base-demo-missions\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA, Northrop Grumman repurpose Gateway elements for Moon Base demo missions"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><![CDATA[\n\n\n<figure id=\"attachment_74076\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-74076\" style=\"width: 678px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"]]><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260805_LIDS_Release_SP_HIGH_RES.jpg\" width=\"100%\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Northrop Grumman\u2019s Lunar Infrastructure Demos (LID-1, LID-2 and LID-3) reuse HALO derived technologies to rapidly mature lunar surface power, thermal, autonomy, communications and hosted payload services that can survive the lunar night and scale into persistent infrastructure near the Moon\u2019s South Pole. Graphic: Northrop Grumman<\/p>\n<p>NASA\u2019s decision to pivot away from the orbiting Gateway lunar station, a stepping stone to the lunar surface for Artemis astronauts, left many wondering what would become of the hardware, like the HALO (Habitation And Logistics Outpost) module. Now, there\u2019s an answer.<\/p>\n<p>In a series of Moon Base program updates shared on Tuesday, the agency announced that it\u2019s working with Northrop Grumman to transform HALO into a trio of Lunar Infrastructure Demo (LID) missions to test some of the technologies needed for future, long-term crew survival at the Moon\u2019s South Pole.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs America embarks on the next chapter in human space exploration, our Lunar Infrastructure Demos will help turn the Moon into a place where astronauts can stay, work and make discoveries that benefit humanity,\u201d said David Schiller, vice president, civil space and sciences, Northrop Grumman. \u201cOur ready\u2011to\u2011fly, reliable HALO technologies allow NASA to move faster, putting in place robust infrastructure that can endure the lunar night and establish a strong blueprint for a future Moon Base.\u201d<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative; width: 100%; padding-top: 56.25%; overflow: hidden;\"><iframe style=\"position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; border: 0;\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Sempwv5MPMQ?si=Y9CvyKsZxmTG0f4O\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>The LID-1, -2, and -3 missions are designed in part to explore ways to deal with the harsh temperature swing at the South Pole, which can range from -334 degrees Fahrenheit to 130 degrees Fahrenheit.<\/p>\n<p>NASA didn\u2019t explicitly state when these missions would launch, but said in a video that they would begin in Moon Base Phase One. That era of development runs from now into 2029.<\/p>\n<p>Neither NASA nor Northrop Grumman noted the cost associated with converting the HALO module to the trio of LID missions.<\/p>\n<h4>End of Gateway<\/h4>\n<p>The Gateway station was originally part of NASA\u2019s Artemis plan to return astronauts to the Moon. Under the previous two administrations, NASA intended to launch Gateway elements in such a way that the Orion spacecraft would be able to dock with the station during the Artemis 4 mission, cross onto the Human Landing System version SpaceX\u2019s Starship rocket, and then descend to the lunar surface.<\/p>\n<p>To support this original ambition, in July 2019, NASA tapped Northrop Grumman to build HALO, awarding the company a $187 million contract to complete the preliminary design.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_74077\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"width: 678px;\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-74077\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260805-Gateway-Summer-Req-Images-Rev2_13orig.png\" width=\"100%\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-74077\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">An artist\u2019s interpretation showing close-up image of Gateway\u2019s Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) module, one of two of the space station\u2019s habitation elements. Graphic: NASA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>According to June 3 interim draft memo written by Brian Mullins, the deputy assistant inspector general for audits within for NASA Office of Inspector General (OIG), regarding cancelled Artemis Program elements, in 2021 the HALO contract was converted into a firm-fixed price contract with a $1.3 billion value and a due date of May 2025.<\/p>\n<p>But in September 2024, Mullins said the contract was shifted again, this time to a cost-plus-award-fee contract with a price tag of $1.8 billion and a new delivery date of October 2026. Under the new leadership of NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, in April 2026, NASA issued a stop work order to Northrop Grumman.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBy then, the value of the contract had risen to $1.9 billion and Northrop Grumman was working to address corrosion throughout HALO\u2019s primary structure, which would significantly impact the project\u2019s schedule,\u201d Mullins wrote.<\/p>\n<p>He said that the Artemis launch schedules were creating \u201cunrealistic schedules\u201d for HALO, so much so that \u201cthe Gateway Program\u2019s independent Standing Review Board found a 0 percent likelihood of meeting the launch readiness date, which had since slipped to October 2025.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Board noted that the Gateway Program\u2019s \u2018lack of schedule realism may be driving suboptimal engineering decisions during development,\u2019\u201d Mullins wrote.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_69529\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"width: 678px;\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-69529\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/20250502_Gatway_ceremony_small-678x452.jpeg\" width=\"100%\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-69529\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dr. Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator for NASA\u2019s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, and Dr. Jon B. Olansen, Gateway Program manager, on stage during an April 24, 2025, event at Northrop Grumman\u2019s facility in Gilbert, Arizona, commemorating HALO\u2019s arrival in the United States. Image: Northrop Grumman<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Further, Thales Alenia Space, Northrop Grumman\u2019s subcontractor tapped in December 2020 to design and manufacture the primary structure of the HALO module, \u201cdiscovered widespread corrosion throughout the module.\u201d Northrop Grumman predicted the delivery date of the module would slip another six months to July 2028.<\/p>\n<p>Mullins and the OIG investigators had a much more lengthy outlook for how soon the HALO module would be ready for handing over to NASA.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBased on trends in Northrop Grumman\u2019s monthly schedule reporting data over the past 1.5 years since the contract was converted to cost-plus, we project the HALO would not have been delivered to NASA until July 2031, a 6-year delay,\u201d Mullins wrote in his memo. \u201cMoreover, given the additional time to integrate the HALO module with the Power and Propulsion Element pre-launch, as well as the approximately 10 months needed to reach its designated lunar orbit, we estimate that Gateway would not have been operational until at least 2032.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Responding in a letter dated June 18, Dr. Lori Glaze, NASA\u2019s associate administrator for Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, pointed to the agency\u2019s Ignition Day event in March designed to address this and other schedule and cost-challenged parts of the Artemis Program.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNASA notes that the challenges summarized in the memorandum\u2014cost growth, schedule slips, contractor performance issues, and evolving mission requirements\u2014reinforce the rationale behind the decisions publicly announced during Ignition Day to streamline the Artemis architecture, modernize acquisition practices, and align programs with the Nation\u2019s objectives for sustained lunar presence,\u201d Glaze wrote.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Agency looks forward to supporting the OIG\u2019s continued audit work on terminated missions and remains committed to transparency, responsible stewardship, and advancing America\u2019s leadership in lunar exploration.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Northrop Grumman\u2019s Lunar Infrastructure Demos (LID-1, LID-2 and LID-3) reuse HALO derived technologies to rapidly mature lunar surface power, thermal, autonomy, communications and hosted payload services that can survive the lunar night and scale into persistent infrastructure near the Moon\u2019s South Pole. Graphic: Northrop Grumman NASA\u2019s decision to pivot away from the orbiting Gateway lunar [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":61631,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1884,700,190],"class_list":["post-61617","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-halo","tag-moon-base","tag-nasa"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61617"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61617"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61617\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":61632,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61617\/revisions\/61632"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/61631"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61617"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61617"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61617"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}