Habitation and Logistics Outpost

The Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) was a planned habitation module for the Lunar Gateway. It was designed to provide a place for astronauts to live and store supplies during missions near the Moon. HALO was built by Northrop Grumman, a company that makes spacecraft and technology for space travel.

A Falcon Heavy rocket was supposed to carry HALO into space together with another module called the PPE. The launch was planned for no earlier than 2027, meaning it could have happened in that year or later. HALO was an important part of the plans to help humans explore the Moon and work in space.

History

Background

The idea for a place to live in orbit around the Moon started with plans made during the Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships 2 program. After setting a 2024 goal for Moon missions under the Trump administration, NASA wanted to use this earlier work to save time.

In July 2019, NASA chose Northrop Grumman to build a small living area for the Lunar Gateway. They picked Northrop Grumman because they were the only company ready to meet NASA's needs quickly.

Northrop Grumman suggested two sizes for this module. NASA chose the smaller one because it could use parts from their Cygnus spacecraft and get ready faster.

Construction

In June 2020, NASA gave Northrop Grumman $187 million to finish planning the module and another $935 million to build it and connect it to the Power and Propulsion Element.

By mid-2024, the module was mostly done and had finished important tests in Europe. In early 2025, a key part was added.

When the module arrived in the United States in April 2025, NASA found some damage from rust. Both the builders said this could be fixed, but it might take longer than planned and delay the project past 2030. The head of NASA said fixing it might not even be worth the effort, especially since NASA is now focusing more on building a base on the Moon.

Design

The HALO will be a small living space for astronauts visiting on the Orion spacecraft. It will help keep the crew safe and healthy, and give them a place to get ready for trips to the Moon. It will have systems to control air, temperature, and power, plus places for the crew to connect to other spacecraft. One part will connect to another module called the I-HAB, and another will be ready for the Human Landing System. Batteries from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency will supply power until the big solar arrays can start working. The Canadian Space Agency will help set up special tools for use on the station.

Science

HALO will carry three science packages to help us learn more about space weather and how to predict it. These include tools built by NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) to study radiation and its effects on astronauts and equipment.

Heliophysics Environmental and Radiation Measurement Experiment Suite (HERMES)

HERMES will study how Earth interacts with the solar wind and the magnetotail. This research aims to understand space-weather changes caused by the Sun. The suite includes four instruments to measure magnetic fields, particle energies, and electron behavior.

European Radiation Sensors Array (ERSA)

The ESA-built ERSA will measure how solar wind affects astronauts and equipment. It includes tools to measure radiation levels and their impact.

Internal Dosimetry Array (IDA)

The ESA-built IDA will help monitor radiation inside the HALO module. It combines European and Japanese technology to provide important data on space radiation.