Thales Alenia Space pledges to fix metallurgical issue on Lunar Gateway modules by Q3 2026
Updated
Updated · Ars Technica · Apr 27
Thales Alenia Space pledges to fix metallurgical issue on Lunar Gateway modules by Q3 2026
7 articles · Updated · Ars Technica · Apr 27
Thales Alenia Space confirmed the presence of a well-known surface metallurgical behavior, presumed to be corrosion, affecting both the HALO and I-HAB modules for NASA’s Lunar Gateway.
The company is collaborating with Northrop Grumman and the European Space Agency to resolve the issue, promising repairs will be completed by the end of the third quarter of 2026.
Similar issues were reported on an Axiom Space module, also built by Thales, but the company cites decades of experience resolving such problems, referencing the long-term reliability of International Space Station modules.
How can astronauts trust habitats that suffered major corrosion before even leaving Earth?
Is the corrosion a simple flaw, or a sign the alloys we use are unfit for deep space?
With a 30-year monopoly, why did a 'well-known' corrosion issue plague critical moon-bound modules?
Could future in-space 3D printing fix such critical flaws without delaying missions for years?
Will this costly mistake finally break the European monopoly on building humanity's homes in space?
Was NASA's pivot to a Moon base a necessary response to hardware failure, or a convenient policy shift?