Updated 3/20/2020 Published 3/19/2020

Orion spacecraft successfully completes major testing

In preparation for the Artemis I mission, NASA’s Orion spacecraft has recently completed systems-level testing in a simulated space environment.

Edited by: Hannah Mason

Technical Editor, CompositesWorld

Airbus announced on March 16 that the Orion spacecraft for NASA’s Artemis I mission has successfully completed several months of simulated space environment system-level testing in the NASA-owned thermal vacuum chamber at Plum Brook Station in Ohio, U.S. The tests were conducted in two phases: a 47-day thermal vacuum test and a 14-day electromagnetic compatibility and interference test in ambient conditions, which both simulate the conditions the spacecraft will encounter during its voyage to the moon and back to Earth.

The results of this test, according to the engineering teams from Airbus, the European Space Agency (ESA), Lockheed Martin (manufacturer of the spacecraft) and NASA, prove that the spacecraft is suitable to navigate safely through the extreme conditions that it will experience in space.

“...We proved to our customers ESA and NASA that the European Service Module, designed and built by our engineers in Bremen – supported by companies in 10 European countries – meets the requirements to withstand the harsh conditions in space,” says Andreas Hammer, head of space exploration at Airbus.

Orion will be transported back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to undergo further testing and prepare the spacecraft for integration with the Space Launch System rocket.

ESA’s European Service Module, which was built by Airbus under an ESA contract, will provide propulsion, power, air and water for the astronauts, as well as thermal control of the entire spacecraft. Artemis I will travel around the moon and back to Earth. Airbus’ Bremen, Germany location is already building the second Orion Service Module for Artemis II, where astronauts will fly to the moon and back to Earth for the first time.

“The Artemis program will land the first woman and next man on the moon and bring them back safely to Earth, we are proud to contribute to this endeavor with all our know-how, expertise and passion,” Hammer says.

About the European Service Module (ESM)

More than 20,000 parts and components will be installed in the ESM, from electrical equipment to engines (see more on Aerojet Rocketdyne’s composites engine components for Orion), solar panels, fuel tanks and life support materials for the astronauts, as well as approximately 12 kilometers of cables. The first service module, which just finished the thermal-vacuum testing, was delivered to NASA in November 2018. The second service module is currently being integrated and tested by Airbus in Bremen.

During the development and construction of the ESM, Airbus reports that it has drawn on its experience as prime contractor for ESA’s automated transfer vehicle (ATV), which provided the crew on board the International Space Station with regular deliveries of test equipment, spare parts, food, air, water and fuel.

The ESM is cylindrical in shape and about four meters in diameter and height. It has four solar arrays (19 meters across when unfurled) that generate enough energy to power two households. The service module’s 8.6 metric tonnes of fuel can power one main engine and 32 smaller thrusters. The ESM weighs a total of just over 13 metric tonnes. In addition to its function as the main propulsion system for the Orion spacecraft, the ESM will be responsible for orbital maneuvring and position control. It also provides the crew with water and oxygen, and regulates thermal control while it is docked to the crew module. The service module can also be used to carry additional payloads.