• NASA’s Orion spacecraft will launch to the Moon in a few days from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida
• Airbus developed the ESM as the prime contractor for the European Space Agency ESA
• Through the program, Humanity will return to the moon and will also set foot on Mars for the first time

NASA’s Orion spacecraft will launch to the Moon in a few days from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA. As part of NASA’s Artemis missions, the European Service Module (ESM) built by Airbus will power Orion to and from its lunar orbit. Airbus developed the ESM as the prime contractor for the European Space Agency ESA and is currently designing and manufacturing five additional ESMs.

The ESM is a critical component of Orion, the next-generation spacecraft that will transport astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit for the first time since the Apollo programme was terminated in the 1970s. On future missions, the module will provide propulsion, power, and thermal regulation, as well as water and oxygen to astronauts.

The ESM weighs slightly more than 13 tonnes at launch. The ESM will enable orbital manoeuvring and attitude control in addition to serving as the main propulsion system for the Orion spacecraft. While docked to the crew module, it will provide the crew with critical life support elements such as water and oxygen, as well as regulate thermal control. The unpressurized service module can also be used to transport additional payloads.

Through the program, Humanity will return to the moon and will also set foot on Mars for the first time.

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