Gateway manufacturer finally acknowledges issue, fails to mention "corrosion"
Summary
NASA revealed that two living modules for the Lunar Gateway space station have corrosion problems. The main builder, Northrop Grumman, and the European Space Agency admitted there are issues with the metal parts, and the manufacturer, Thales Alenia Space, is working to fix them by late 2026.Key Facts
- NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the Lunar Gateway modules had corrosion during a House hearing.
- Northrop Grumman confirmed a manufacturing problem in the habitat module it built.
- The European Space Agency also acknowledged corrosion in its habitation module (I-HAB).
- Both modules’ pressure vessels were made by Thales Alenia Space, a French-Italian company.
- Axiom Space reported similar corrosion problems in its private station module built by Thales.
- Thales described the issue as a "well-known metallurgical behavior," likely a polite way to say corrosion.
- Thales plans to repair the modules with work finishing by the third quarter of 2026.
- NASA stopped the Lunar Gateway project recently, focusing on the Moon’s surface instead.
- The corrosion problems could delay the Gateway launch well beyond the original 2024 target.
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