Our colleagues at NASA have sent along a fabulous video in time for today’s ESA/NASA Orion media briefing. It shows an animated scenario for the first Orion mission using an ESA-developed Service Module. Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1), set for 2017, is the first planned flight of the Space Launch System carrying the second uncrewed Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV).

You can see the classic ATV solar panels unfold at 00:45, and the Orion capsule and Service Module separate at 1:01. Enjoy!

Set to launch in 2017 from Kennedy Space Center, the Orion spacecraft would perform a circumlunar trajectory during a seven-day mission. The Orion capsule will be equipped with a Service Module provided by the European Space Agency that is based on technology developed and proven in the ATV-series of missions. Credit: NASA