The Gateway as a Building Block for Space Exploration and Development

The Gateway, which will be a small, human-tended space station in orbit around the Moon, is an
example of the building block approach to space exploration and development. The National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) leads the Gateway Program and serves as the
integrator of the spaceflight capabilities and contributions of U.S. commercial partners and
international partners. Gateway is a cornerstone of deep space human exploration, one critical
element of the strategies and architectures that will enable human exploration of the solar
system.

This paper will outline: 1) The concept of operations and describe how Gateway is a multipurpose space station, supporting lunar surface missions, cis-lunar research, and as a proving
ground for human missions to Mars; 2) Gateway’s international partnerships as an expansion of
the partnerships of the “second generation of space programmes,” namely the International
Space Station (ISS); and 3) Future commercial, scientific, and technology demonstration
opportunities that this infrastructure building block provides.

Lastly, the strategies and architectures for future space exploration and development must
include thoughtful approaches to the management and business operations of government space
programs. This includes planning for limited outyear growth in budgets, partnership and
acquisition strategies, pursuing public-private partnerships and the use of firm-fixed price
contracts, enabling vendor-to-vendor relationships, the use of multilateral interoperability
standards, and incorporating key lessons learned from prior governmental Programs. This paper
will discuss the strategies and approaches undertaken when establishing the Gateway Program at
the NASA Johnson Space Center in 2019 and the current operational status of this new, lean, and
efficient Program.