MEI installs lunar habitat mockup at Space Center Houston

MEI’s rigging crew utilized a 25/35 Versa-Lift to lift the two-piece, 5,000-pound,14.5-foot-wide by 21-foot-long module from a flatbed truck. Photo: MEI

An early, full-scale mockup of astronaut accommodations designed for a space station orbiting the moon has been installed at Space Center Houston, now open for public display. MEI Rigging & Crating, a national provider of rigging, machinery moving, and mechanical installation services, played a crucial role in this project.

The mockup, a 5,000-pound, 14.5-foot-wide by 21-foot-long module, was donated by Northrop Grumman. Originally built in 2019 as a ground prototype, the habitat was used by NASA to evaluate potential configurations for the Artemis Gateway lunar-orbit platform. The prototype contributed to Northrop Grumman being selected to develop the HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) module for NASA’s Artemis program. This habitat may one day support astronauts conducting research in lunar orbit or serve as a waypoint between Earth and the moon.

Given the module’s large size, Space Center Houston had to trim tree limbs and remove a wall to create a path for its installation. MEI’s rigging crew utilized a 25/35 Versa-Lift to lift the two-piece module from a flatbed truck. The module was placed on trolleys and carefully transported indoors on skates, with only inches to spare as the building’s entrance was just 14.8 feet wide. MEI also took precautions to protect the flooring by laying down Masonite during the move.

Previously housed at Johnson Space Center’s Space Vehicle Mockup Facility, the prototype could only be viewed from an overhead walkway. Now, visitors to Space Center Houston can explore the exterior and interior of the habitat, gaining a unique, immersive experience of what life in lunar orbit might be like.