Negotiations on the creation of a near-moon station(Gateway) began in 2013. In September 2017, ESA, Roscosmos, JAXA, CSA and NASA signed a memorandum of cooperation to create such a station, which was first called Deep Space Gateway, later called Gateway – Lunar Orbital Platform, and after the recent meeting, just The Gateway.
The near-moon station will allow to work out the basic technologies for the crew’s stay in deep space and carry out the first missions to the surface of the Moon of automatic and manned spacecraft, as well as to test technologies and elements in preparation for the manned missions to Mars.
Within the framework of the project, Russia was offered to build an airlock for astronauts to reach the station surface. The Russian side was not satisfied with its role in this project – the compartment was proposed to be manufactured according to American technical standards and under the American spacesuit. But at the meeting on March 5, 2019, the Multilateral Coordination Council of the International Space Station, including representatives from the United States, Russia, Canada, Europe and Japan, discussed common interests in deploying a Gateway – an outpost of man in the vicinity of the Moon, which will serve as an intermediate station for studying satellite surface Earth – as a crucial step in international cooperation in space exploration. The Council endorsed plans for the further development of Gateway and welcomed the intention of each Agency to participate in the implementation of the elements and modules shown in the graphical concept of the station configuration.
Gateway will support the access of humans and robotic equipment to the lunar surface and accumulate invaluable experience necessary to solve the tasks of subsequent manned missions to Mars. The unique location of the station will provide a platform for important scientific discoveries in deep space, very different from the International Space Station. A special orbit will also provide an excellent view of both the Earth and the surface of the Moon for relaying communications.
Gateway will stimulate the development of advanced technologies, expand the nascent space economy and benefit from space exploration for the inhabitants of the Earth. The Multilateral Coordination Council hopes that the ambitious project will inspire the next generation to the success of international cooperation in the field of science and technology.
The Gateway – near-moon international station
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