NASA's Artemis program is making significant strides towards establishing a long-term human presence on the Moon, with the Gateway lunar space station playing a central role.

The Gateway will serve as a staging ground for deep space exploration, facilitating scientific research and future missions to Mars.

The development of Gateway hardware is a collaborative international effort, involving partners such as the European Space Agency (ESA) and private companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin.

Canada and Japan are contributing vital technologies, including the Canadarm3 for maintenance and JAXA-designed life support systems.

SpaceX's Starship is set to transport astronauts from Gateway to the Moon's South Pole, where a permanent research outpost is planned.

Gateway will act as a scientific hub and logistics center for future Artemis missions, with the Artemis IV crew being the first to board it.

NASA's partnership with Blue Origin aims to develop a second human landing system, Blue Moon, for Artemis V and future missions.

Initial investigations aboard Gateway will focus on how solar and cosmic radiation impacts astronauts and spacecraft systems.

NASA aims to launch the Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) and the Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) by December 2027, marking key milestones in the Gateway project.

The HALO module, essential for housing astronauts, is nearing completion at Thales Alenia Space in Turin, Italy, and will be transported to Northrop Grumman's site in Arizona for outfitting.

After outfitting, HALO will be sent to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for final preparations.

The PPE will provide solar electric propulsion, making Gateway the most powerful spacecraft of its kind ever built.