Northrop Lands $187M NASA Contract to Develop Habitation Module for Artemis Gateway

NASA has awarded Northrop Grumman a $187M contract to design the habitation and logistics outpost module for the Artemis program's lunar Gateway. 

The HALO module, which NASA described as small as a small studio apartment, will serve as an initial habitat for crews arriving at the Orion spacecraft, Space News reported. 

"The Gateway is a key component of NASA’s long-term Artemis architecture, and the HALO capability furthers our plans for human exploration at the Moon in preparation for future human missions to Mars,” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said. 

He added that the contract is a significant milestone in NASA's plan to create robust and sustainable lunar operations. 

Northrop's cost-plus-incentive-fee award covers funding for the design of the module through a preliminary design review later in 2020. The company will be allowed to issue subcontracts for hardware with long lead times. 

The module is based on the Cygnus spacecraft, which is used to transport cargo to the International Space Station. 

“The success of our Cygnus spacecraft and its active production line helps to enable Northrop Grumman to deliver the HALO module,” said Steve Krein, Northrop's vice president of civil and commercial satellites. 

In July 2019, Space News reported that NASA quietly reached a sole-source agreement with Northrop Grumman after determining that the company is the lone company capable of meeting the requirements.

Northrop is a publicly traded defense and space company based in Falls Church, Virginia. The company specializes in engineering, information technology, electronics, military, manufacturing, drones, cyber and cybersecurity, among others.