Italy is to make two modules for the future gateway space station orbiting the moon in NASA's Artemis program, sources said Wednesday. The modules will be among the main ones at the future space station. They will be made by Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between aerospace firms Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%).

The modules are the I-Hab (International Habitat), which will house the astronauts, and the Esprit, for communications and supplies. They constitute the European Space Agency's (ESA) contribution to the Artemis program. The first tranche of the contract for I-Hab, signed with ESA, is worth some 36 million euros out of an overall total of 327 million.