NASA's Gateway could become the Moon's first airport – here's how traffic will work

NASA's upcoming Gateway station may soon become Earth's first lunar spaceport. Researchers from Texas A&M University, NASA's Johnson Space Center, and Purdue University have developed the mathematical framework to manage traffic at this lunar airport. The Gateway, set to launch by 2027, will serve as a central hub for Orion crew capsules, cargo vehicles, and lunar landers supporting the Artemis program.

Positioned in a near-rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO) around the Moon, this elongated route enables continuous communication with Earth while minimizing fuel consumption. However, managing multiple spacecraft near Gateway proves challenging due to the gravitational forces of Earth and the Moon. The proposed solution involves organizing visiting vehicles into a string of pearls, or calculated intervals ahead or behind Gateway.

This relative orbit-maintenance algorithm accounts for navigation errors, imperfect thruster burns, and other disturbances, ensuring safer and more efficient sharing of the orbit. While not enforceable air-traffic regulations, this technical framework paves the way for future spacecraft arrivals, departures, and orbital holding patterns at NASA's lunar spaceport.