NASA and ESA reveal how the lunar space station will orbit the Moon 'like a halo'

The lunar space station, Gateway, will orbit the moon in an ellipse -- with a path that will resemble a halo -- when it is assembled in the next decade, NASA and the European Space Agency have announced. The station will act as a half-way house between the Earth and the Moon, acting as a place of shelter, making trips to the moon more efficient and providing a launch pad for missions heading further out into the solar system. Much like the International Space Station, the Gateway will be a permanent base on which astronauts will live for extended periods, conducting research on-board and making regular excursions down to the moon's surface. The halo-like orbit of the lunar gateway will see it trace a halo-like path around the moon (pictured). A stepping stone to allow astronauts to more easily travel to the Moon as well as a forward outpost for crewed excursions further into the solar system, the Lunar Orbital Platform is due for construction within the next decade.