The third ESM (European Service Module) for NASA’s Orion spacecraft has departed from Airbus’ facility in Bremen, Germany, on its way to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. There, it will be integrated and tested with the Crew Module for NASA’s Artemis III mission, which will see the first human landing on the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972.
The third ESM, also known as ESM-3, developed by Airbus under a contract with the European Space Agency (ESA), is crucial for supporting the mission’s four astronauts during their three-week journey aboard Orion. This includes their departure from Earth, transit to lunar orbit, docking with the lunar landing system Starship HLS, and safe return to Earth.
Ralf Zimmermann, Head of Space Exploration at Airbus, commented, “Today’s delivery of the third ESM marks the beginning of yearly ESM deliveries, underlining the importance and reliability of Europe in this transatlantic partnership.” Airbus Defence and Space is contracted to produce up to ESM-6, with procurement of long lead items extending to ESM-9.
Operating in space requires robust systems due to the extreme conditions, where temperatures can drop as low as -200°C. Airbus has developed thermal energy control systems to maintain a stable environment within the crew module, keeping it between 18 and 24°C by managing heat dissipation and protection against the cold.
The ESM also provides essential life support for the astronauts. “NASA asked us to create a standard atmosphere similar to Earth, which means we have to add nitrogen to the cabin. The ESM carries 90 kilogrammes of oxygen and 30 kilogrammes of nitrogen. We also use the nitrogen to pump drinking water from the 240-litre tank for the astronauts,” said Zimmermann.
Unlike the Apollo missions, which utilised fuel cells for electricity, Orion relies solely on solar arrays. Its four wings generate 11.2 kW of power per hour, enough to supply two average households on Earth. Only a small portion of this energy is required for the space module, with the majority allocated to the crew ESM’s batteries and systems. During the Artemis I mission, the solar panels produced more power than anticipated, offering additional energy for future missions as the Artemis programme progresses.
The energy stored in the batteries is critical, particularly when the spacecraft is in shadow and solar power is unavailable. These batteries also ensure a safe return by powering the Orion spacecraft after the ESM separates from the crew module at the mission’s conclusion, at which point it will no longer have access to the solar arrays.
To allow astronauts to focus on essential tasks, the modules’s avionics offer a high level of autonomy, including temperature regulation and solar wing alignment with the Sun. While the spacecraft can theoretically operate autonomously throughout the mission, the Artemis III mission will require astronauts to manually dock with the Starship landing system, unlike the uncrewed Artemis I mission.
The ESM is equipped with 33 engines to provide thrust and manoeuvring capabilities. The main engine, an adapted Space Shuttle orbital manoeuvring system engine (OMS-E) supplied by NASA, delivers 26.5 kilonewtons of thrust, sufficient to escape Earth’s gravity and initiate the translunar injection burn. Additionally, eight auxiliary thrusters serve as backups and for orbital adjustments, while 24 smaller engines manage attitude control during space manoeuvres, such as docking.
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