Artemis I on the launchpad at night

NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft and its European Service Module at sunrise as it arrives at Launch Pad 39B on 17 August 2022. NASA’s Artemis I flight test is the first integrated test of the Orion spacecraft that is powered by the European Service Module provided by ESA.

Orion is the only spacecraft capable of human spaceflight outside Earth orbit and high-speed reentry from the vicinity of the Moon. More than just a crew module, Orion includes ESA’s European Service Module, the powerhouse that fuels and propels Orion.

The European Service Module – or ESM – provides for all astronauts’ basic needs, such as water, oxygen, nitrogen, temperature control, power and propulsion. Much like a train engine pulls passenger carriages and supplies power, the European Service Module will take the Orion capsule to its destination and back.

The creation of the ESM has been a truly pan-European effort. Around 26 European companies were enlisted by ESA’s prime contractor, Airbus, to develop and build the module, which in total comprises more than 20 000 parts and components. From electrical equipment to engines, solar panels, fuel tanks and life-support elements, Europe’s world class scientific and technological skills are at the heart of this mission.