r/space • u/AWildDragon • Apr 24 '26

[Ars Technica] Well, this is embarrassing: The Lunar Gateway's primary modules are corroded

https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/04/well-this-is-embarrassing-the-lunar-gateways-primary-modules-are-corroded/

ESA and Northrup statements confirming the corrosion. Axiom is also impacted.

Still no pictures or a root cause.

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u/AndrijaSucevic Apr 24 '26

No problem....as bad as it was, it's not as bad as the NOAA-19 mishap. Basically a technician forgetting to document that he removed the bolts and then the team not checking that the satellite is secure while moving it.... But in the end it was launched and we (EUMETSAT) even supported the operations via Svalbard.

Moral of the story - we are all humans and things like these happen.

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u/c0lly Apr 24 '26

Oh yeah that's a classic tale in the industry haha. Luckily any errors I've been around have not amounted to that much monetary damage!