Why is NASA seeking to build a space station around the moon?

 

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Why is NASA seeking to build a space station around the moon?

program aims to return humans to the Moon, establish a sustainable presence there for scientific and commercial purposes, and eventually reach Mars. Among the ideas of this program is the creation of the Lunar Gateway, a space station planned to orbit the Moon. However, the space station is currently facing delays, concerns about costs, and the possibility of reduced US funding. This raises a fundamental question: Is an orbiting space station necessary to achieve lunar goals, 

including scientific goals?

the "Moon Gateway" project in his proposed 2026 budget for NASA. Ultimately, an objection from within the Senate led to continued funding for the lunar station, but the debate continues among policymakers about its value and necessity within the "Artemis" program.

Canceling the Lunar Gateway project will also raise deeper questions about the future of the United States’ commitment to international cooperation within the Artemis program, and thus, will jeopardize U.S. influence over global partnerships that will determine the future of deep space exploration.

Reasons for the need to establish a lunar space station

The Gateway Lunar Station was designed to support these ambitions by serving as a launchpad for manned and robotic missions (such as lunar rovers), a platform for scientific research, and a testing environment for key technologies for landing humans on Mars.

It is a multinational project, in which NASA is involved with four international partners: the Canadian Space Agency, the European Space Agency (ESA), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JEPA), and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre in the United Arab Emirates.

Most of the components contributed by these partners have already been produced and delivered to the United States for integration and testing, but the project faces many challenges, including high costs and ongoing debates about its feasibility.

If it is cancelled, the United States abandoning a key component of the Artemis program, at a time when trust in such alliances is under unprecedented pressure, could have dire consequences.