European Service Module before shipping

Technicians at the Airbus facility in Bremen, Germany prepare the European Service Module for shipment to Kennedy Space Center.

For the first time, NASA will use a European-built system as a critical element to power an American spacecraft, extending the international cooperation of the International Space Station into deep space. The European Service Module is a unique collaboration across space agencies and industry including ESA’s prime contractor, Airbus, and 10 European countries. The completion of service module work in Europe and shipment to Kennedy signifies a major milestone toward NASA’s human deep space exploration missions to the Moon and beyond.