Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway space station, illustration. This crewed platform is planned to be assembled in orbit around the Moon in the 2020s. It could be used as a staging post or testing ground for future long-duration crewed missions to the rest of the solar system. Here, it is shown at left, with NASA's Orion crew capsule and ESA's service module (European Service Module) approaching for docking from right. The plans for this space station are being led by NASA, co-ordinating between multiple space agencies. Attached to the space station at centre is the ascent stage of the HERACLES (Human-Enhanced Robotic Architecture and Capability for Lunar Exploration and Science) robotic sample return mission spacecraft (gold). Image published in 2018.