The Orion European Service Module (ESM-2), built by Airbus for ESA, is fully fueled and “go” for Artemis II—the first crewed Moon mission in five decades. It will keep four astronauts alive with oxygen, water, thermal control, and 33 engines for propulsion.
Launching from Kennedy Space Center, the crew—Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen—will spend 10 days around the Moon. “They are trusting hundreds of engineers across ten European nations,” says Airbus’s Marc Steckling.
Artemis II debuts active life support: 90 kg of oxygen, 240 kg of drinking water, and a thermal system to counter deep-space temperature swings. Four solar arrays generate 11.2 kW, powering new laser communications that stream 4K video from the Moon at 260 Mbps. Manual piloting tests will use 24 reaction control thrusters.
The spacecraft will fly 6,400–9,000 km above the lunar surface—closer than any crew since Apollo—and may set a new Earth-distance record.
Future missions: ESM-3 (2027) tests docking; ESM-4 (2028) supports Artemis IV landing; ESM-5/6 are in production. All ESMs are assembled in Bremen, Germany, as ESA’s prime contractor.
