Northrop, NASA finalize $935M moon orbiter contract
By
Nick Wakeman
Northrop Grumman will continue development of a space station to circle the moon and support landings, as well as provide the infrastructure for deep space science.
NASA and Northrop Grumman have finalized a $935 million contract for the company to build an orbiting space station that will circle the moon and facilitate lunar missions.
The Habitation and Logistics Outpost for Gateway, or HALO orbiter, is part of NASA’s Artemis program to further human exploration of space.
HALO will attach and integrate with the Power and Propulsion Element being built by Maxar Technologies under a separate $375 million contract. The orbiter also have to be compatible with SpaceX’s $2.9 billion human lunar lander craft. That contract is currently under protest.
Both HALO and PPE will be delivered to their moon orbit by the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. NASA is targeting November 2024 for a launch.
“NASA is building the infrastructure to expand human exploration further into the solar system than ever before,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.
The space agency describes HALO as a “near-rectilinear halo orbit," which means that it is wide-flat orbit with two sides being nearly straight. HALO will be tens of thousands of miles from the surface of the moon at its furthest, and then close to the moon to launch lunar landers.
The orbit will allow HALO to conduct deep space science as well as conduct lunar exploration, NASA said.
HALO will have three docking ports and will host international habitat being built by the space agencies of Japan and Europe. HALO also will have a refueling module.
The new contract follows an initial $187 million award in 2020 for initial design work.