UAE will replace Russia in Gateway project under Artemis program

Boeing is in talks with the United Arab Emirates, and if successful, the country could oust Russia from the Gateway project, which is part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) lunar program Artemis.

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Five years ago, NASA signed a contract with the Russian company Roskosmos to jointly build the Gateway station in lunar orbit. In 2021, however, Russian experts lost their place in the project, demanding beforehand a guarantee of participation in the project "on an equal footing with the United States."

Within the next few months, the United States is expected to announce cooperation with the United Arab Emirates, which is now "evaluating prospects. Their role will be to create a sealed entry and exit facility for the Gatewaty near-lunar station.

Construction of Gateway will begin in 2023. The station will be in NRHO (Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit) and will be able to make one revolution around the moon in about a week. The maximum distance to the surface of the satellite will be 70,000 km, and the minimum - 3000 km.

Start of operation of Gateway is scheduled for 2024. The lunar station will initially be used to study the moon and deep space. In the future it will become a hub for transplanting astronauts during flights to Mars.

Source: The National News
Image: Wikipedia