By Penny Duran, NASA Space Grant Science Writing Intern

Picture a space station orbiting the moon, more robust than any spacecraft that ventured to the moon half a century ago. Envision a station outfitted with exercise equipment, sleeping quarters, and the space and materials needed to conduct experiments while at work– anything astronauts might need for a “home away from home” in lunar orbit. This milestone of engineering, which would have seemed like science fiction only a handful of decades ago, is within arm’s reach thanks to the arrival of the core element of HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) for NASA’s lunar Gateway space station. 

On April 24, students from the University of Arizona, Arizona State University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Northern Arizona University, including NASA Space Grant Intern and ASCEND high-altitude ballooning representatives, were invited to an exclusive event marking the arrival of HALO at Northrop Grumman’s facility in Gilbert, Arizona for integration and testing. With Gateway as a key element of the NASA-led Artemis missions to enable sustained lunar exploration to pave the way to Mars and beyond, HALO’s arrival marks Gateway’s first major hardware milestone.

At the event, attendees had the chance to tour Northrop Grumman’s satellite manufacturing facility, where they were able to see the exterior of HALO’s main component as well as a mockup and virtual reality simulations of HALO’s interior. Various NASA program leads and speakers were invited to commemorate the milestone, including astronaut Randy Bresnik, who currently serves as the Assistant-to-the-Chief of the Astronaut Office for Exploration managing the development and testing of everything that will operate beyond low-earth orbit on Artemis missions.

Astronaut Randy Bresnik at HALO event. Photo Credit: Penny Duran

“HALO’s arrival marks how it’s the Artemis generation’s time to push beyond low Earth orbit and go farther than we’ve ever gone before. This is something humans have been doing since the dawn of time. This is what makes us unique among the inhabitants of Earth,” said Bresnik.

As hinted in Bresnik’s speech, one recurring theme presented by both the invited speakers and students in attendance was the implications HALO, and by extension Artemis, have for the future of space exploration and the legacy the next generation will uphold.

According to Els Shepard, a student from Arizona State University in attendance at the event, “I am kind of excited to just know that our generation is going to be the Artemis generation. You always hear about Apollo and the great accomplishments made during that era. As a mechanical engineering major, I’d like to be able to work on these type of space missions.”

Another profound takeaway attendees had from the event was how the arrival of HALO in Gilbert, Arizona ties back to Arizona’s rich history with space science and space exploration.

“For me, the part of this event that has resonated with me the most was hearing all the collaborations of just other companies internationally and locally. It's really cool that Arizona has a big part in HALO and Artemis. Being from the University of Arizona, students hear a lot about Space Watch and Kitt Peak – so it feels like a ‘full circle’ moment to have another big move in space exploration in Arizona,” said Juan Machado, a University of Arizona NASA Space Grant Intern.

Arizona NASA Space Grant students Juan Machado (left) and Andrew Kwolek (right) and University of Arizona NASA Space Grant Program Manager Michelle Coe (middle) at HALO event in front of HALO interior mockup. 

Photo Credit: Penny Duran

HALO’s next step is to journey to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, to be joined with the Power and Propulsion Element (PPE). But the main component’s arrival in Arizona and the impacts it will have on the next generation of space explorers was truly “out of this world”.