The team at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, unboxed ESA’s third European Service Module earlier this week. This powerhouse, boasting 33 engines, is destined for the Artemis III mission, where it will provide life support for the astronauts and propel NASA’s Orion spacecraft in deep space. The module was built with contributions from over 20 companies across more than 10 European countries.
During this summer, the European Service Module left the integration halls of Airbus in Bremen, Germany and sailed across the Atlantic Ocean on board Canopée, the world’s first hybrid wind-powered commercial cargo vessel. Eleven days later, the ship and its precious cargo arrived safely in Port Canaveral, ready to meet the other modules of the NASA Orion spacecraft that will carry astronauts back towards the Moon.
In the next weeks, engineers will connect the third European Service Module with the Crew Module Adapter to form the complete service module of the Orion vehicle. ESA’s second European Service Module underwent the same process last year; it is now connected to its crew module and is in the later stages of testing ahead of the Artemis II mission next year.