The Airbus-built European Service Module (ESM) forms the core of NASA’s Artemis II, the first crewed lunar mission in over 50 years, powering, propelling, and sustaining the Orion spacecraft and its crew on a 10-day journey around the Moon.
Assembled by Airbus in Bremen, Germany, for the European Space Agency (ESA), the ESM integrates contributions from 13 ESA Member States, 20 main contractors, and over 100 suppliers. Fully integrated, fuelled, and cleared for flight as of March 31, 2026, it launched aboard the Space Launch System from Kennedy Space Center on April 1, carrying NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, plus Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
The ESM’s propulsion system features 33 engines: one main engine for major velocity changes like trans-lunar injection, eight auxiliary engines for corrections and backup, and 24 reaction control system thrusters in six pods for precise orientation. Four 7-meter solar arrays generate 11.2 kW of electricity, while supplying air, water, thermal control, and life support essentials.
On mission day two, the main engine ignited for the critical burn propelling Orion toward the Moon. Throughout the voyage, auxiliary and control engines ensure trajectory accuracy for a safe Earth return, marking the first time NASA relies on a European-built system for a crewed deep-space mission.