Posted: Sat, Feb 8, 2025, 12:44 PM ET (1744 GMT)
The UAE has selected Thales Alenia Space to build an airlock module for the lunar Gateway. Thales and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre signed a contract Tuesday to build the airlock module, allowing astronauts there to perform spacewalks and access science payloads on the Gateway's exterior. Thales is building several other components of the Gateway, a crew-tended facility that will operate in lunar orbit and serve as a staging point for missions to the lunar surface. The contract comes amid speculation that the Trump administration may do away with the Gateway as part of sweeping changes in the Artemis architecture.

Related Links:

•  SpaceNews article
•  The National (UAE) article
•  European Spaceflight article
•  Thales Alenia Space article