Artemis II

Following the Artemis I uncrewed test flight, Artemis II saw a crew of four astronauts, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, complete a different flight path. The Orion spacecraft first orbited Earth before embarking on its journey around the Moon and returning safely to Earth.

The second Artemis mission built on the first, continuing to test the capabilities of the Orion spacecraft and its European Service Module, this time with life support systems to keep the crew safe and healthy.

Around 25 hours after launch, the second European Service Module's main engine fire for 350 seconds, sending Orion and its crew onto a free-return trajectory around the Moon. The maneouvre was so precise that two of the three planned trajectory correction burns on the way to the Moon were not needed.On 6 April, Orion and its crew flew past the Moon, breaking the Apollo 13 record for the farthest distance travelled from Earth. The spacecraft then began its four-day journey home.

Throughout the mission, the European Service Module supplied air and potable water for the astronauts, generated electrical power through its four solar arrays, provided thermal control and propulsion, demonstrating Europe’s critical role in returning humans to the Moon.

Our second European Service Module is the result of a major industrial collaboration over many years. Mostly built by European industry under ESA leadership and assembled by Airbus Defence and Space in Bremen, Germany, it included contributions from companies across 13 European countries, involving 20 main contractors and more than 100 European suppliers.