The launch of the month-long Artemis I mission is a success not only for NASA, but also for ESA, which is also participating in the project. The successful completion of this mission will help the agency to receive additional support from the governments of the participating countries.
European service modules for monthly missions
The launch of the Artemis I mission last week is the first step towards establishing a permanent settlement on the Moon. First of all, this is the success of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
However, this is no less a success of the European Space Agency, because the service module for the Artemis I mission was built by this organization. On November 21, at 02:44 p.m., the Orion spacecraft is scheduled to perform a gravity maneuver near the Moon. And the device built by engineers from the Old World will play a decisive role in this.
It is on it that the engines are installed, the performance of which will determine the successful return of the mission to Earth. If everything goes as planned, the European service modules will be used in all subsequent Artemis flights.
Actually, the ESM-2 was already delivered to the USA last year. Now the third module built by ESA is preparing to join it, the fourth is currently under construction, and two more already ordered by NASA will also be manufactured in the next couple of years.
The ESA is full of optimism
At the same time, European ESM service modules do not stand still. Even before the launch of the first of them, the agency began work on improving the design. Each next module will be slightly more perfect than the previous one. This will be especially noticeable starting with the Artemis-4 mission, which is supposed to deliver the first module of the Gateway station into lunar orbit.
In general, ESA is full of optimism in connection with the Artemis I mission. It began exactly when the organization is going to coordinate with representatives of the participating countries the construction of three more monthly modules.
Recently, due to the war in Ukraine, ESA suspended a lot of its joint scientific projects with Russia. And now it is more important than ever for the agency to prove to everyone that it has viable projects in order to develop in the future.
A recent survey of residents of the European Union showed that space science, along with solving the problems of debris in orbit and climate change, is what scientists and engineers do more. And ESA has something to offer people.
According to spacenews.com
Follow us on Twitter to get the most interesting space news in time
https://twitter.com/ust_magazine
