Touch down: European module arrives at Kennedy Space Center
After a 24-hour journey from Bremen, Germany with stops in Hamburg and Portsmouth, USA, the European Service Module landed yesterday at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
04 DEC. 2015
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The Orion spacecraft is built by NASA with ESA providing the service module. The arrangement stems from the international partnership for the International Space Station.
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ATV-4 docking
The precursor to the Orion service module was Europe’s Automated Transfer Vehicle that supplied vital equipment and systems to the International Space Station. The Automated Transfer Vehicle programme was part of a barter arrangement between ESA and its international partners through which ESA pays its share of the running costs of the International Space Station.
The barter agreement was extended in January 2013 when ESA and NASA announced that Europe would provide one service module for Orion.
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ATV Jules Verne moved to Final Assembly Building
The knowledge gained by ESA and European industry from designing, building and operating the complex Automated Transfer Vehicle missions was instrumental for ESA’s participation in NASA’s Orion spacecraft, which will fly astronauts to the Moon and beyond.
NASA’s decision to cooperate with ESA on a critical element for the mission is a strong sign of trust and confidence in ESA’s capabilities.
More than 20 companies around Europe are now building the European Service Module as NASA works on Orion and the Space Launch System.
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Made in Europe
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Goodbye Europe, hello Moon: European Module ships soon
The European Service Module that will power and propel the Orion spacecraft on its first mission around the Moon will ship early next week from Bremen to the United States. It will take off in an Antonov An-124 aircraft in the early hours of 5 November and arrive at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, US on 6 November.Designed and manufactured in Italy and Germany, the powerful workhorse is Europe’s contribution to humanity’s return to the Moon.
Orion’s first Service Module integration complete
Last week at the Airbus integration hall in Bremen, Germany, technicians installed the last radiator on the European Service Module for NASA’s Orion spacecraft marking the module’s finished integration.ESA’s European service module will provide power, water, air and electricity to NASA’s Orion exploration spacecraft that will eventually fly beyond the Moon with astronauts. The European Service Module is now complete for Orion’s first mission that will do a lunar fly-by without astronauts to demonstrate the spacecraft’s capabilities.
Skeleton structure for Orion Moon module arrives for assembly
The structure for Europe’s second service module for NASA’s Orion spacecraft arrived at the Airbus clean room in Bremen, Germany, last week.
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Related links
ESA's Orion blog
Updates on our European Service Module for Orion
NASA Orion
NASA's Orion website
Orion at Airbus
Orion at Airbus
Orion service module on Flickr
Orion service module on Flickr
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