\n<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t02\/04\/2026<\/span> At\u202f00:35\u202fCEST today (18:35 local time on 1 April), NASA’s Space Launch System rocket lifted off from the Kennedy Space\u202fCenter\u202fin Florida, carrying four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft on Artemis II.\u202fAt the heart of the mission is ESA’s European Service Module, which powers, propels and sustains the Orion spacecraft and its crew on their journey around the Moon and safely back to Earth.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThis is the first time astronauts are flying aboard Orion,\u201d says ESA\u2019s Director General Josef Aschbacher. \u201cArtemis II builds on the success of Artemis I and confirms Europe\u2019s essential role in humankind\u2019s return to the Moon and future exploration beyond. ESA is proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with its international partners, led by NASA. Together, we are demonstrating that cooperation remains our most powerful engine for the future.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Over the next 10 days, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor\u202fGlover\u202fand Christina Koch, together with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, will fly around the Moon and return safely to Earth, the first journey of its kind since Apollo 17 in 1972, over half a century ago.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n Powering Orion on this historic voyage is our\u202fsecond\u202fEuropean Service Module, which\u202fis responsible for\u202flife support for the astronauts, as well as power generation and propulsion. Its four solar arrays, each stretching seven metres,\u00a0give\u00a0electricity to the spacecraft, while its systems\u00a0provide\u00a0air,\u00a0water,\u00a0and\u00a0a comfortable\u202ftemperature for the astronauts. Thirty-three\u202fengines, including a powerful\u00a0repurposed Space Shuttle engine, will\u00a0guide Orion through deep space\u00a0and perform critical manoeuvres on the\u202flunar journey.\u202f<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n European hardware\u202fis put to\u202fwork\u202fjust minutes\u202fafter liftoff. Around 20 minutes after launch, Orion’s European-built solar arrays deploy, unfurling into space to begin supplying electricity to the spacecraft.\u202fThe crew then enters a high Earth orbit, where they spend the first day testing Orion’s systems and taking manual control of the spacecraft. Using the European Service Module’s 24 reaction control system engines, they practise manoeuvres needed for future docking operations.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n On the second day of the mission, the European Service Module’s main engine will ignite for the critical trans-lunar injection burn, sending Orion and its crew on a four-day journey to the Moon. Throughout the voyage there and back, the module will continue to play a vital role,\u00a0firing its smaller engines\u00a0to\u202ffine-tune Orion’s trajectory where needed and ensure the spacecraft\u202fremains\u202fon course for a safe return to Earth.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n As Orion and its crew approach our home planet, the European Service Module will separate from the crew module and burn up harmlessly in Earth’s atmosphere, having completed\u00a0its task of carrying the astronauts safely home. The Artemis II mission will conclude as the crew module splashes down\u202fsafely\u202fin the Pacific\u202fOcean.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The\u202fsecond\u202fEuropean Service Module is the product of a vast industrial effort\u202fthat\u202fspans\u202falmost a\u202fdecade.\u202fContributions have come from across 10 European countries, involving 20 main contractors and over 100 European supplies, from\u00a0the creation of its backbone structure by Thales Alenia Space in Turin, Italy, to the\u202fintegration\u202fof\u202fall\u202fcomponents by prime contractor Airbus in Bremen, Germany.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The vital contributions of Europe to Artemis II continue after liftoff.\u202fEuropean engineers will support the mission around the clock\u202ffrom\u00a0ESA’s technical centre in the Netherlands, ESA’s European Astronaut Centre in Germany, and NASA’s Johnson Space\u00a0Center\u00a0in Houston, ensuring expert oversight of the European-built systems.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cAlthough no ESA astronaut is part of this flight, the European Space Agency is,\u201d says Daniel Neuenschwander, ESA\u2019s director for Human and Robotic Exploration. \u201cThe excellency of the European industry is underlined by the crucial role that the European Service Module will play in this mission and the ones to come. This know-how is the foundation for future deliveries in the Artemis partnership, but also for achieving our own European goals for human and robotic exploration.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/blockquote><\/div>\n
\n\t\t\t\t239<\/span> views<\/small><\/span>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t3<\/span> likes<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n<\/header>\n\n
European hardware\u202f <\/h2>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nEuropean engineers\u202f<\/h2>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n