Last year marked 55 years since humankind stepped on the Moon for the first time during the Apollo 11 mission. Today, ESA is a key part of NASA’s Artemis programme which will return humans to the Moon. Let’s have a look at what happened in 2024 for ESA and the Moon, from our European Service Module (ESM) powering Orion to our key contributions to the Gateway and more.
Cameras on the European Service Module’s solar wings snap the world’s furthest selfie. Credits: NASA
Artemis I
Orion splashed down in the Pacific Ocean at the end of the first Artemis mission on 11 December 2022; however, the work on Artemis I didn’t finish there. Since then, teams from around the world have been busy analysing the mission and the performance of each component to prepare for future missions.
Helga and Zohar inside Orion. Credits: NASA
Artemis II
In 2023, our second European Service Module was connected to the crew module for Artemis II to form the Orion spacecraft that will bring four astronauts around the Moon and back home. In 2024, the spacecraft has been through rigorous testing at the Kennedy Space Center in the US to make sure it’s up to the task.
But first, a space makeover: in February, the ESA and NASA logos were adhered to Orion’s Crew Module Adapter, the part of the spacecraft that connects our European Service Module with the crew module.
Space logos on Orion. Credits: NASA
Some parts of the European Service Module even required some hand-stitching. Thermal mats that protect the rear of the module from the engines’ heat had to be sewed on, as the ESM, measuring over 4.5 metres in diameter, is too large to be pre-stitched by a machine.
Sewing the module by hand, with the enormous main engine on the left. Credit: NASA
In April, Orion went through electromagnetic testing, the Apollo way. The Orion stack was lifted into a refurbished altitude chamber that was last used over half a century ago to test life support systems on Apollo spacecraft. This time, the chamber was used to run electromagnetic interference and compatibility tests on Orion, to monitor how the spacecraft reacts to external sources and how parts of Orion affect each other electromagnetically.
Lifting Orion into the altitude chamber. Credits: NASA
Over the summer, Orion returned to the same altitude chamber, this time for vacuum testing. The spacecraft was placed in a near-vacuum environment designed to simulate the space conditions the vehicle will travel through during its mission towards the Moon.
Orion in the altitude chamber. Credits: NASA-R. Sinyak
This year will see Orion continue testing and gain its solar wings in spring, continuing its journey to launch in spring 2026.
Artemis III
The third European Service Module will propel Orion during Artemis III, bearing the first crew that will land on the Moon’s surface since 1972. In spring 2024, the European Service Module received its historic main engine, no stranger to space with already nine missions under its belt powering Space Shuttle orbiters.
The third European Service Module’s main engine. Credits: Airbus
Soon after, we said goodbye as the third European Service Module left Europe forever, sailing across the Atlantic Ocean on the impressive Canopée to the United States, its last stop before being launched towards the Moon.
Engineers at Airbus in Bremen get the third European Service Module ready for departure. Credit: ESA-P. Sebirot
Since arriving at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the European Service Module has been assembled to the Crew Module Adapter, forming the complete Service Module.
The third European Service Module is now connected to the Crew Module Adapter. Credits: NASA-K. Shiflett
ESA’s new names for the Gateway
ESA is contributing three key elements to the lunar Gateway, the first space station around the Moon. These were previously known as I-Hab, ESPRIT Refuelling Module and ESPRIT HALO-Lunar Communication System. Now they have been renamed: Lunar I-Hab, Lunar View and Lunar Link. Together, these provide a habitable space for astronauts, refuelling, storage and telecommunication capabilities, and windows to view space and the Moon.
Components of the Gateway. Credits: ESA-K. Lochtenberg
Artemis IV
Lunar I-Hab is ESA’s habitation module for the Gateway; it will fly to the lunar station, propelled by Orion and the fourth European Service Module, during the Artemis IV mission. European engineers are currently building the module at Thales Alenia Space in Turin, Italy.
Lunar I-Hab under construction. Credits: ESA-S. Corvaja
In the same premises, European engineers have built a mock-up of Lunar I-Hab, which in May hosted ESA and NASA astronauts to evaluate the ergonomics and habitability of the Lunar I-Hab module. Feedback from the astronauts will help Thales Alenia Space engineers refine the interior of the module.
ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano and engineers inside the Lunar I-Hab mock-up. Credit: Thales Alenia Space
Late last year, engineers at Airbus in Bremen, Germany, installed the first helium tank on the fourth European Service Module. Helium is used to push the 8000 litres of propellant in the European Service Module to its 33 engines.
The fourth European Service Module’s first helium tank. Credits: Airbus
Artemis V
Lunar View is an ESA module that will supply the lunar station with propellant and provide a pressurised volume with six large windows where astronauts will be able to store cargo and supplies and enjoy a view of space and the Moon. As a result of NASA’s choice to launch Lunar View aboard the larger and more powerful version of the SLS launcher during Artemis V, ESA and Thales Alenia Space, the prime contractor to build the module, agreed to significantly increase its size, allowing more storage space and two attachment points to accommodate the Canadian Space Agency’s robotic arm Canadarm3.
Lunar View on the Gateway. Credit: NASA
Moonlight
Moonlight aims to establish Europe’s first dedicated satellite constellation for lunar telecommunication and navigation; the programme officially began with a contract signing at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Milan last year. As the first step of the programme, Lunar Pathfinder, a pioneering satellite developed with Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL), will provide reliable communication services around the Moon, supporting future lunar missions such as NASA’s Artemis and ESA’s Argonaut.
Lunar Pathfinder. Credit: ESA/ATG
Robot dance at the Moon on Earth
Also known as the Moon on Earth, the LUNA facility near the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany, was unveiled in September 2024, a simulated lunar environment that is preparing our return to the Moon. To celebrate, ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer joined forces with our robotics experts to showcase their cutting-edge machines Interact and Spot, and the potential of human-robot teamwork for space exploration.
The LUNA inauguration show. Credit: ESA/DLR
The journey forward
In 2025, the journey forward to the Moon continues.
The Orion stack for Artemis II will receive its solar wings and continue testing ahead of its launch next year.
The third European Service Module will follow in these testing footsteps and will be connected to its crew module later this year.
The fourth European Service Module, currently in the Airbus cleanroom in Bremen, will depart from Europe.
The first pieces of the Gateway continue to be built in the cleanrooms of Thales Alenia Space, with contributions from people all over Europe.
Keeping watching this space for updates!
Automated Transfer Vehicle page
ATV blog archive
NASA Orion page
NASA Artemis
Airbus Orion page
Discussion: 2 comments
Thank you ladies and gentlemen for your hard work and for getting Europa into the exclusive club of spacefaring countries.
Thank you very much. It’s much easyer to follow the progression of the program, with this kind og résumé and some of the technical details (about the helium tank and the thermal protection, for instance) makes it more exciting.
Best regards