The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
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On Monday morning 5 November 2018 the first European Service Module for NASA’s Orion spacecraft was loaded onto an Antonov An-124 aircraft in Bremen airport and sent across the Atlantic to the NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA.
The module was packed in a custom-built container that keeps the environment inside within acceptable limits for transportation. It will fly via Hamburg, Germany, and Portsmouth, USA for refuelling and customs.
This delivery is a milestone in the module’s journey to the Moon. The European Service Module will be connected to the Spacecraft Adaptor and the Crew Module in USA for further testing before its final flight around the Moon. The first Orion mission, called Exploration Mission-1, will be a test flight without astronauts and will travel farther into space than any human-rated spacecraft has ventured. The mission is expected to launch in 2020.