The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre of the United Arab Emirates has awarded Thales Alenia Space a contract to design and develop the Emirates Crew and Science Airlock Module, the country’s contribution to NASA’s Lunar Gateway space station. In exchange for its contribution, an Emirati astronaut will secure a future mission to the station.
Designed to allow astronauts access to the exterior of the station to perform spacewalks, the Emirates Airlock module will also include space for the storage and maintenance of Extravehicular Activity (EVA) suits and serve as an additional docking port for visiting spacecraft. The airlock will be ten meters long and four meters wide, with a mass of ten tonnes. According to Thales Alenia Space, the next milestone for the project will be the Mission Concept Review, which it expects to complete in 2025.
A 4 February press release from Thales Alenia Space described the deal as a contract to design and develop the Emirates Airlock module. However, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) characterised it instead as a strategic partnership agreement.
MBRSC’s announcement stated that the agreement establishes Thales Alenia Space as a strategic partner in developing the airlock for the Gateway Lunar space station. Additionally, MBRSC’s website describes the airlock as being “built in collaboration” with international and commercial partners.
The Thales Alenia Space announcement suggests a more traditional procurement model. However, if it is instead a strategic partnership, MBRSC may be signalling greater internal involvement, possibly with multiple contributors.
While the exact nature of the development arrangement remains unclear, once launched and attached to the station, the airlock will be managed and operated by MBRSC.
A Fourth Gateway Element Built by Thales Alenia Space
With the addition of the station’s airlock, Thales Alenia Space is now involved in the construction of four major elements of NASA’s Lunar Gateway space station.
In July 2019, Northrop Grumman was contracted by NASA to build and deliver the station’s Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) module for Gateway. In December 2020, the company subcontracted Thales Alenia Space to design, manufacture, and test the module’s primary structure (pressurised element).
In October 2020, ESA awarded a €327 million contract to Thales Alenia Space to build the Lunar I-Hab module for the Gateway space station. Lunar I-Hab will feature ten cubic meters of habitable volume, which will include a small galley, personal crew compartments, and exercise and medical areas. It will also have four docking ports, with two allocated for visiting vehicles and one each for NASA’s HALO module and the Emirati airlock.
In January 2021, ESA awarded Thales a €296.5 million contract to build the European System Providing Refueling Infrastructure and Telecommunications (ESPRIT) module, which consists of the Lunar Link and Lunar View elements. This contract was amended in October 2024, with the company receiving an additional €164 million to extend both the length and width of the Lunar View element.
