First Time A European-Built System Will Be A Critical Element Powering An American Spacecraft

The European Service Module for NASA's Orion spacecraft will be arriving at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on November 16. The module is the powerhouse that will supply NASA’s Orion spacecraft with electricity, propulsion, thermal control, air and water.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine and ESA (European Space Agency) Director General Jan Wörner, as well as other senior leaders from NASA and ESA will discuss the international cooperation needed to send humans to the Moon and Mars.

For the first time, NASA will use a European-built system as a critical element to power an American spacecraft, extending the international cooperation of the International Space Station into deep space. The European Service Module is a unique collaboration across space agencies and industry including ESA’s prime contractor, Airbus, and 10 European countries. The completion of service module work in Europe and shipment to Kennedy signifies a major milestone toward NASA’s human deep space exploration missions to the Moon and beyond.

At Kennedy, the service module will undergo integration with the Orion crew module, built by prime contractor Lockheed Martin, in preparation for Exploration Mission-1– a flight test farther into space than any human spacecraft has ventured.

(Image provided with NASA news release)

FMI: www.nasa.gov/orion