Overview
- NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said both delivered habitable Gateway modules were corroded and argued the problems would have pushed the station beyond 2030, a factor in NASA pausing Gateway to prioritize lunar surface work.
- ESA’s early probe ties the issue to a mix of forging steps, surface treatment, and material properties, and it described the European I-Hab module’s corrosion as manageable.
- Northrop Grumman and Thales Alenia Space report HALO repairs are underway using NASA-approved processes, with completion expected by the end of the third quarter of 2026.
- Axiom Space said its Thales-built station structures showed only limited corrosion, the spots were removed, a mitigation is in place, and its first module is still targeting a 2028 launch.
- NASA and partners are weighing reuse of Gateway hardware for a Moon base, with officials noting subsystems from HALO may fly even if full module repairs prove unnecessary or uncertain.