Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), has signed a contract with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) to design and develop the Emirates Crew and Science Airlock Module. This module will be docked to the Lunar Gateway, the Cislunar space station supporting future lunar missions.
The agreement was formalised at a signing ceremony in Abu Dhabi, attended by Teodoro Valente, President of the Italian Space Agency (ASI).
The Emirates Airlock will play a critical role in enabling astronauts to conduct extravehicular activities (EVAs), facilitate the transfer of research materials, and provide an additional docking port for spacecraft. This initiative strengthens the UAE’s standing in global space exploration, enhances the country’s scientific community and prepares future generations of scientists and engineers for involvement in space programmes.
Designed to support Gateway operations and scientific endeavours, the pressurised module will serve as a storage and maintenance space for EVA suits, tools, and equipment. It will also include a science airlock, allowing the transfer of scientific experiments and hardware between the station’s interior and the external environment.
Key milestones for 2025 include the Mission Concept Review, followed by the System Requirements Review and the Preliminary Design Reviews at both the primary structure and system levels.
Thales Alenia Space CEO, Hervé Derrey, said: “I would like to sincerely thank the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) for putting its trust in our company. This new pressurized element is crucial for the Lunar Gateway as it will be designed to enable extravehicular activities for astronauts in particular. We are delighted to accompany the MBRSC and the UAE’s bold vision in space exploration and support their commitment to international partners. This new contract emphasizes even more Thales Alenia Space’s leading positions in the fields of space transportation systems, orbital infrastructures and deep space exploration.”
Giampiero Di Paolo, Deputy CEO and Senior Vice President, Observation, Exploration and Navigation at Thales Alenia Space, added: “I want to express my gratitude to the MBRSC for entrusting Thales Alenia Space in the manufacturing of the Emirates crew and science airlock module dedicated to Lunar Gateway. This partnership is a significant milestone, reflecting the trust the UAE has placed in our expertise and commitment to advancing space exploration. The Airlock module paves the way to the UAE’s remarkable commitment to innovation and excellence in space endeavours. Our goal is to work with the space community to contribute to lunar exploration and to continuous presence on the lunar surface. In that sense, we continuously invest in new technological developments and foster innovation. Challenges like this stimulate us and our supply chain for the benefit of the whole space ecosystem.
“Our company has leveraged its longstanding experience in pressurized modules to offer a fifth module for the cislunar space station, including Lunar-View, Lunar-Link, Lunar I-Hab for ESA, HALO’s pressurized module for Northrop Grumman and now the Emirates airlock module.”
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