Loading ESM-2 on the plane

An Antonov aircraft sent the second European Service Module for NASA’s Orion spacecraft across the Atlantic in a custom-built container from Bremen, Germany, on 13 October 2021. It is the last stopover on Earth before this made-in–Europe powerhouse takes the first astronauts around the Moon on the Artemis II mission.

Upon arrival at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the second European Service Module (ESM-2) will be connected to the crew module. Together they form the Orion spacecraft.

The service module is a critical element for Orion – it provides propulsion, power and thermal control and will supply astronauts with water and oxygen.

With parts made in ten countries in Europe, there is one element that returns to American soil after testing in Germany: the service module’s main engine is a refurbished engine from Space Shuttle Atlantis that will steer the spacecraft on its way to the Moon.