NASA picks satellite maker Maxar to build the first crucial piece of its new lunar space station

<em>An artistic rendering of the power and propulsion element needed for NASA’s future Gateway space station</em>

NASA has chosen satellite manufacturer Maxar Technologies to build the very first piece of the lunar Gateway — a new space station the agency wants to create in orbit around the Moon. The Gateway is meant to serve as a future outpost for astronauts in NASA’s newly minted Artemis lunar program. From this station, astronauts will travel in landers down to the Moon’s surface, and then journey back up to the Gateway before heading home.

Maxar will be making what is known as the power and propulsion element of the Gateway. This is a key module needed to keep the station afloat. It will be equipped with solar panels to provide electricity for the entirety of the Gateway, and it will also provide critical communication capabilities between the…

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