Gateway hardware returns as a cold-weather test bed for Artemis 2028 lunar landings

Northrop Grumman is repurposing HALO-era hardware from NASA’s Gateway program to test how lunar systems cope with the Moon’s extreme cold and shadow near the south pole ahead of a targeted early 2028 Artemis IV landing. The tests focus on assemblies and interfaces under deep cold (down to about -203°C), where batteries, lubricants, and solder joints can fail, informing whether Gateway-derived assets can reduce cost, time, or risk for a future surface habitat rather than implying a flight-ready Moon base.