HALO Crew Module for Lunar Gateway Passes Design Review
The initial preliminary design review (PDR) for the HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) crew module developed by Northrop Grumman has been completed. The module will serve as living quarters for astronauts at the Gateway during lunar exploration missions.
“By basing the HALO module on Cygnus, we are able to deliver an affordable and reliable flight-proven product on an accelerated timeline.”
Steve Krein, vice president, civil and commercial satellites, Northrop Grumman.
The design for the HALO crew module is based on Northrop Grumman’s flight-proven Cygnus spacecraft, a human-capable vehicle that delivers supplies, equipment and experiments to the International Space Station. Design upgrades for HALO include command and control systems, as well as environmental control and life support systems.
“By basing the HALO module on Cygnus, we are able to deliver an affordable and reliable flight-proven product on an accelerated timeline,” said Steve Krein, vice president, civil and commercial satellites, Northrop Grumman. “Maturing HALO through its preliminary design marks a major milestone in the module’s production.”
The HALO crew module is key to NASA’s Lunar Gateway, serving both as a crew habitat and docking hub for vehicles navigating between Earth and the moon. With NASA’s Orion spacecraft docked, HALO will be able to sustain up to four astronauts for up to 30 days as they travel to and from the lunar surface.
Northrop Grumman’s work on HALO is a follow-on to the Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships 2 (NextSTEP-2) program, where the company used virtual reality and 3-D printed models to support rapid prototyping of the NextSTEP-2 habitat modules.
In addition to HALO, Northrop Grumman is partnering on the Blue Origin-led human landing system team to develop the Human Landing System (HLS) for the Artemis program. Northrop Grumman will provide the Transfer Element vehicle that lowers the landing system into low lunar orbit. The company is also responsible for delivering boosters for the Space Launch System rocket and the Orion Ascent Abort System.
(Image provided with Northrop Grumman news release)