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"Cislunar orbit is the sweet spot. It's close enough to Earth and the moon but out of the gravity wells.

Deep Space Gateway Key Part of Updated Exploration Roadmap https://t.co/oqWfvxtZWL pic.twitter.com/SRhjyn7spS — SPACE.com (@SPACEdotcom) December 2, 2017

It's significant that NASA is going to be working with so many other agencies on the project The Deep Space Gateway will represent a phenomenal investment of time and resources from the global community, but should therefore also be able to benefit all of mankind, as any of the involved groups will have a claim in being able to use the Gateway in order to send out future space missions.With Japan, India, and even Australia getting more invested in the space race launching their own missions to explore the solar system , the space surrounding our planet is about to get a lot more crowded, and a structured, organized orbital platform makes sense to help these missions run as smoothly as possible.This is to say nothing of the benefits of a Deep Space Gateway on commercial space flight.As privately funded bodies continue to look to space as an avenue for financial gain, a Gateway will make it far easier for commercial missions to set up cell phone towers on the moon , or ferry resources back to the Earth.Long-term, this will also prove useful in taking people and materials to other planets, aiding plans for a permanent Martian colony that will need regular supply trips in order to keep running.The Global Exploration Roadmap is going to be a big deal for the way many of these missions play out over the coming decades.Phase Zero, which we're currently seeing in its initial stages, will involve the testing and research aboard the International Space Station that will be needed to build the Deep Space Gateway.Phase One will involve the actual construction of the Gateway, as well as missions to the moon, that will all take place during the next decade.Finally, in the futuristic 2020s, the Gateway will be used to launch a manned mission to Mars.When this roadmap is official next month, scientists will have their work cut out for them trying to find a way to make the plan a reality.This will be a huge endeavor that will take decades to bear fruit, but before long, mankind will start taking its first, faltering steps across the solar system to begin colonizing planets beyond our own blue-green sphere.There's a lot to do, but the future of space travel feels exceptionally exciting.