No, Russia Isn't Helping to Build the Deep Space Gateway

At least not yet. Possibly never.

Russia's media outlets released claims Roscosmos and NASA had signed an agreement where Russia would help the US build the new Deep Space Gateway space station. 

The actual truth of the matter is that Russia and NASA signed an agreement to study how Russia might participate in the DSG.

The difference is pretty big.  

One claims the Russians are full participants.  The other, more truthful one, is along the lines of "let's talk about it."

The Russians might have aspirations for participating in deep space exploration, but to be, frank, they have slipped the delivery of their science lab for the ISS yet again.  Now it will be in 2019.  The ISS is now going on 20 years old, the Russians haven't finished their part...and they want to go into deep space?

hmmm.

To be fair, NASA keeps slipping their own missions, too. (also looking at you, JWST) However, the DSG is slated to start construction now in June 2022 with the second SLS launch.

However, given Russia's bad behavior on Earth and the lack of a need to make sure their scientists don't go off to sell their services to other countries (the pitch for why ISS instead of the SSC to Clinton), why bother with them?

NASA has Started Work on the Deep Space Habitation Module

As part of its comprehensive review to the NASA Advisory Council, the US space agency has presented its review of progress on the development of a Deep Space Habitat that will allow astronauts to perform multi-month and multi-year missions in deep space – all while guiding the agency towards its ambitious plan of landing humans on Mars by the end of the 2030s

link.

Lockheed Considering Other Uses for NASA's Deep Space Habitation Module

Lockheed Martin is considering additional applications of a cislunar outpost that it is designing for potential use on future NASA human spaceflight missions, including supporting commercial lunar missions.

Bill Pratt, program manager for Lockheed Martin’s Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP) contract with NASA, said he believes that there could be other applications for the proposed habitat once it completed its primary mission for the space agency.

“NASA has a set of ‘Proving Ground’ objectives that they want to accomplish in order to get to Mars. That’s the primary purpose of the outpost,” he said in an April 13 interview during the 32nd Space Symposium here. “Past that, though, my personal view is that the outpost would be great support for countries or other entities that want to go to the lunar surface.”

link.

NASA Spending Bill Requires Development of Deep Space Hab Module by 2018

An omnibus spending bill passed by Congress this month directs NASA to accelerate work on a habitation module that could be used for future deep space missions, although how NASA will implement that direction is unclear.

The report accompanying the fiscal year 2016 omnibus appropriations bill instructs NASA to spend at least $55 million on a “habitation augmentation module” to support the agency’s exploration efforts. The money would come from the Advanced Exploration Systems program, part of the Exploration Research and Development line item in the budget that received $350 million in the bill.

“NASA shall develop a prototype deep space habitation module within the advanced exploration systems program no later than 2018,” the report states. It also requires NASA to provide Congress with a report within 180 days of the bill’s enactment on the status of the program and how it has spent the funds provided.

link.