From the mountains of Turin to the deserts of Arizona, a core element of Gateway, humanity’s first lunar space station, is now one step closer to the Moon. As seen in this April 1, 2025, photo, HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost), Gateway’s first pressurized module and one of its foundational elements, recently arrived in Gilbert, Arizona, following its fabrication by Thales Alenia Space in Turin, Italy. Now on U.S. soil, the module will undergo final outfitting by primary contractor Northrop Grumman before it’s integrated with the Power and Propulsion Element at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Together, the two modules will launch to lunar orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket ahead of the Artemis IV mission.
HALO will support astronauts visiting Gateway and function as a command and control hub for the space station. It will feature docking ports for spacecraft such as NASA’s Orion, logistics vehicles and lunar landers, and provide data handling, energy storage, power distribution, thermal regulation, and communications and tracking capabilities.
HALO’s arrival marks a major milestone in the construction of Gateway, a cornerstone of NASA’s Artemis campaign to advance science and exploration on and around the Moon in preparation for the next giant leap: the first human missions to Mars.
Image credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel
从都灵的群山到亚利桑那的沙漠，人类首座月球空间站门户（Gateway）的核心部件之一，如今距离月球又更近了一步。正如这张拍摄于2025年4月1日的照片所示，HALO模块（居住与后勤前哨，Habitation and Logistics Outpost），作为门户的首个加压舱段，也是其关键基础部件之一，近日在意大利都灵由泰雷兹阿莱尼亚航天公司（Thales Alenia Space）建造完成，并已运抵美国亚利桑那州吉尔伯特市。目前，HALO模块已置于美国本土，将由主要承包商诺斯罗普·格鲁曼公司（Northrop Grumman）进行最后的装配。之后，它将在NASA肯尼迪航天中心与电力与推进舱段（Power and Propulsion Element）集成，并将在阿尔忒弥斯4号任务之前，由SpaceX的猎鹰重型火箭（Falcon Heavy）送入环月轨道。
HALO模块将为访问门户的宇航员提供支持，并作为整个空间站的指挥与控制中心。它将配备多个对接口，供NASA的猎户座飞船（Orion）、后勤飞行器以及月球着陆器等对接使用，同时具备数据处理、能源存储、电力分配、热控、通信与跟踪等多项关键功能。
HALO的到来标志着门户建设迈出重要一步。门户是NASA阿尔忒弥斯计划的核心组成部分，旨在推动月球及其周边区域的科学探索与技术发展，为下一次巨大飞跃——人类首次火星任务——做好准备。
影像来源: NASA/Josh Valcarcel
