At the heart of the Artemis II crewed mission is ESA's European Service Module, which powers, propels and sustains the Orion spacecraft and its crew on their journey around the Moon and safely back to Earth.
On 02 April, at 00:35 CEST (22:35 GMT, 18:35 local time on 01 April), NASA's Space Launch System rocket lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, carrying four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft on the Artemis II mission. This historic launch marks the first crewed flight of the Artemis programme and the first time humans are travelling towards the Moon in over 50 years.
Europe will be providing the power that makes the journey possible thanks to ESA's European Service Module, the propulsion heart of the Orion spacecraft. The module supplies air and water for the astronauts, provides electricity through its four solar arrays, controls the spacecraft's temperature, and delivers propulsion for key manoeuvres in deep space.
Built by European industry led by ESA, the European Service Module was assembled by Airbus in Bremen, Germany, with contributions from across 13 ESA Member States, involving 20 main contractors and over 100 European suppliers.
"This is the first time astronauts are flying aboard Orion," says ESA's Director General Josef Aschbacher. "Artemis II builds on the success of Artemis I and confirms Europe's essential role in humankind's return to the Moon and future exploration beyond. ESA is proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with its international partners, led by NASA. Together, we are demonstrating that cooperation remains our most powerful engine for the future."
The European Service Module has three types of engines that work together, each with a specific role during the mission. A single main engine delivers the large changes in velocity needed to send Orion towards the Moon. It is supported by eight auxiliary engines, which are used for orbital corrections and serve as a backup for the main engine if needed. For precise control, 24 smaller reaction control system engines, arranged in six pods, are used to rotate and orient the spacecraft. Firing individually or in combination, they allow Orion to adjust its position with exceptional accuracy.
European engineers will support the mission around the clock from ESA's technical centre ESTEC in the Netherland, from NASA's Johnson Space Centre in Houston and from the European Astronaut Centre in Germany.
During Artemis II, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen will perform a 10-day lunar flyby mission. The mission will end with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of California, USA. The European Service Module will separate and burn up harmlessly in the atmosphere shortly before the Orion Crew Module splashes down.
"Although no ESA astronaut is part of this flight, the European Space Agency is," says Daniel Neuenschwander, ESA's director for Human and Robotic Exploration. "The excellency of the European industry is underlined by the crucial role that the European Service Module will play in this mission and the ones to come. This know-how is the foundation for future deliveries in the Artemis partnership, but also for achieving our own European goals for human and robotic exploration."
