Corrosion Found in Lunar Gateway Modules as NASA Pauses Program for Lunar Surface Focus

NASA confirmed during congressional testimony that corrosion affects both the Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) and I-HAB modules of the Lunar Gateway space station project. This issue would have delayed, probably beyond 2030, the application of Gateway. Half a dozen sources who worked on or near the Lunar Gateway program confirmed to Ars Technica that the corrosion was real and serious.

Northrop Grumman, the primary contractor for HALO, acknowledged the problem and said it is completing repairs using NASA-approved processes after a manufacturing irregularity. The company expects to finish these repairs by the end of the third quarter.

The European Space Agency attributed the issue to a “combination of factors,” including materials. “Following the identification of corrosion on HALO, a comprehensive investigation was promptly initiated,” a European Space Agency spokesperson said. ” After the issue was discovered, the European Space Agency established a “tiger team” to investigate.

“Based on the investigation and available data, the corrosion issue was understood to be technically manageable and did not constitute a showstopper for I‑HAB, which was, in any case, in better conditions than HALO from [a] corrosion point of view,” the spokesperson said.

The I-HAB module remains under construction and has not yet been delivered to NASA. Thales Alenia Space, which built the primary structure of HALO for Northrop Grumman and is building the I-HAB module along with a future communications and refueling module known as ESPRIT, has not yet provided a detailed comment.

Ars Technica reached out to Thales Alenia Space on Wednesday evening for a comment about the corrosion issues. A spokesperson responded on Friday morning, “We are working on statement.” Northrop Grumman provided a comment within several hours of a request on Wednesday.

In March, the Gateway was being paused so NASA could focus on the lunar surface. During testimony before the US House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, a representative asked about NASA’s budget. “You’ve also canceled an order for the Habitation and Logistics Outpost,” the representative said.

” Since the demise of Gateway, Northrop has been pushing NASA to re-purpose the HALO module for use on the lunar surface as part of the space agency’s Moon base. The representative's district includes major elements of Northrop Grumman. “I appreciate the contributions and look forward to working with them on how we could potentially repurpose hardware to surface applications,” a NASA official replied.

The HALO module was delivered from Italy to the United States about a year ago.

NASA promoted the idea of building a space station around the Moon known as the Lunar Gateway for a decade. The Lunar Gateway was touted as a platform for exploring the lunar environment and testing technology needed for deep-space habitation. The first component of the Lunar Gateway was originally due to launch in 2022.

The first component module was later decided to launch in tandem with the HALO in 2024. The core of the Lunar Gateway was slated to be joined by the I-HAB pressurized habitation module contributed by international partners in 2026.