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The European service module, seen from below. Image via ESA / A. Conigli.
NASA's Orion spacecraft – built to transport humans – is one step closer to its first moon-flyover mission, the European Space Agency (ESA) said on October 30, 2018. The service module European – which will be used to power and propel the Orion spacecraft – will be shipped this week from Bremen, Germany, to the United States by an Antonov An-124 aircraft. He will leave in the early hours of November 5th and arrive at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on November 6th. The ESM, designed in Italy and Germany, is a crucial European component of NASA's ambitious Space Launch System (SLS); The Orion spacecraft part of the SLS is designed to bring astronauts back to the moon for the first time since the 1970s.
The European service module will contain fuel in large tanks, as well as water, oxygen and nitrogen for astronauts, while radiators and heat exchangers will help keep the module at pleasant temperatures.
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The module itself is similar to ESA's automated transfer vehicle, which was used to bring supplies to the International Space Station. The structure is the backbone of the whole vehicle, much like a car chassis. Three types of engines will help propel Orion on his excursions and will be able to rotate the spacecraft in all directions. The module will be built by Airbus Defense and Space and many other European companies will also supply components.
The European Service Module is an integral part of the Orion spacecraft, described here. Orion is designed to bring astronauts back to the moon for the first time since the 1970s Apollo missions. Image via NASA.
This is the first time that a European construction system will serve as an essential element for powering an American spacecraft. this is largely thanks to ESA's existing automated transfer vehicle program, mentioned above.
So what happens next?
At the Kennedy Space Center, the European Service Module will be connected to the Orion Crew Module and its adapter in preparation for Mission-1 exploration. This mission is planned as a first test flight without astronauts who will travel further in space than would ever have made a human-rated spacecraft. The launch of this mission is scheduled for 2020.
A second European service module, similar to the first, is also under development. This one can make travel a human crew around the moon. All of these activities lead to launches with gateway components – an outpost planned for human activities in lunar orbit, designed to be used for both the human and robotic exploration of the moon.
Orion's design is similar to ESA's Automated Transfer Vehicle, which powers the International Space Station. Image via ESA / NASA.
ESM has also recently completed its final integration and testing in the Airbus integration hall in Bremen.
Orion is NASA's space launch system crew capsule, which, once completed, will be the most powerful rocket ever built. He will be able to bring astronauts back to the Moon, and more advanced versions of SLS will be able to take astronauts further into space, including Mars. As stated on the mission website:
After the first flight, the next step is to send people on a daring mission to the moon and beyond. As SLS evolves over future missions toward an unprecedented trade-off between mass and payload volume and unparalleled performance, the rocket will allow NASA to send missions into deep space and reach far-flung destinations. faster than ever. On its second mission carrying Orion and astronauts, Exploration Mission-2, SLS will send Orion and his crew farther than people would have done before 250,000 miles or so of the Earth, 10,000 miles beyond the moon.
SLS and Orion are American space vehicles and the foundation of explorers' space missions. This new era of discovery requires the participation of all humanity, including international and commercial partners, to make these businesses possible and sustainable. Partners can help provide the basic supplies and equipment needed to live and work on the moon and in far-flung spaces. SLS and Orion are scheduled to fly once or twice a year and will focus on safe and reliable flights for humans and large loads.
Once operational, SLS will be the most powerful rocket ever built and will be able to carry an Orion crew on the Moon and beyond. Image via NASA.
Conclusion: The delivery of the European Service Module is a step closer to the first launch of NASA's Orion Space Probe – part of the Space Launch System – designed to bring astronauts back to the moon for the first time in decades . Human missions on the moon are still far away, but the first launch of Orion will be a step closer.
Via ESA
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