ESA’s European Structural Test Article has started testing at NASA’s accoustic test facility in Plum Brook, USA, to ensure it can withstand the loud noise and vibrations that all spacecraft endure during their launch into space.

The first European hardware to arrive at NASA for Orion is the European Service Module structural test article. This test version of the service module has the same weight and configuration as the real thing and will undergo advanced testing at NASA’s Plum Brook Station in Ohio, USA.