SpaceQ has obtained a copy of the Cooperation on the Civil Lunar Gateway Memorandum of Understanding between NASA and the European Space Agency. The document, received through a NASA Freedom of Information Act request, outlines 23 Articles and includes details relevant to Canada’s participation.
The document was signed in late October by NASA’s Jim Bridenstine and ESA’s Johann-Dietrich Wörner.
Article 5 – Gateway Elements
Article 5, Gateway Elements, lists the various elements of the Gateway as currently agreed on. The elements are “subject to change in the course of the detailed design, development, and operation of the Gateway.”
The partners include NASA, the Canadian Space Agency, the European Space Agency, the Government of Japan and Russia’s ROSCOSMOS.
The inclusion of Russia is interesting in that this agreement was signed after Dmitry Rogozin, Director General for ROSCOSMOS said in October that the Lunar Gateway, part of the larger Artemis Program was too “US centric” and that “Russia is likely to refrain from participating in it on a large scale.”
Russia is currently set to provide the Crew Airlock for the Gateway.
Here’s the list of elements by participant:
NASA
- Power and Propulsion
- Habitation Capability
- Avionics and Communications Infrastructure
- Logistics Resupply
- Crew Transportation
- Extravehicular Activity (EVA) System
Canadian Space Agency
- External Robotic Capability
- External Robotics Interfaces
- End-to-end External Robotic Operations
European Space Agency
- Habitation Capability (I-Hab)
- Enhanced Lunar Communications
- Refueling and Viewing Capability
- European Service Modules in support of Orion missions
Government of Japan
- Habitation Capability Infrastructure Functions
- Logistics Resupply
ROSCOSMOS
- Crew Airlock
Article 6 – Major Program Milestones
Here’s the list of major program milestones as they currently stand.
(a) 2023 — Delivery of the first Gateway element, power and propulsion, to lunar orbit.
(b) 2023 — Delivery of the initial habitation capability with enhanced lunar communications to the Gateway.
(c) 2024 — Gateway ready for the first crewed mission.
(d) 2025 — Delivery of additional habitation capability to the Gateway (I-Hab).
(e) 2026 — Delivery of external robotic capability to the Gateway.
(f) 2027 — Delivery of refueling and viewing element to the Gateway.
(g) 2028 — Delivery of the crew airlock to the Gateway.
The 2026 date for delivery of Canada’s contribution is what we had previously reported and as we said at the time, Canada’s contribution is not needed for the first Artemis missions to the Moon, including the first landing.
Article 14 – Transportation and Other Visiting Vehicles
This Articles in part spells out how crews will get to the Gateway. There’s a lot of flexibility built in, including the option of using other means than the Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion. The choice of vehicle is dependant on “NASA’s assessment of vehicle readiness and safety for flight.” The sentence refers to ESA crew, but I think it’s fair to say that it will apply to all crew. This provides NASA the flexibility to use commercial vehicles.
Canadian External Robotics Operations
Article 10, Operations, section 10.5 concerns External Robotic Operations being provided by the Canadian Space Agency. Sub-section (a) states that the “CSA intends to provide end-to-end external robotics services to implement Gateway operations and utilization activities. In support, CSA intends to provide control center functions for external robotics operations in Canada. The CSA-provided control center is intended to interface with the lead mission control center to support commanding and receipt of telemetry.”
In other words Gateway robotics control will be based in Saint-Hubert, Quebec at CSA headquarters, similar to the function it currently provides for the International Space Station.