Orion European Service Module preparations. Technicians packing the European Service Module-2 at the Airbus integration hall in Bremen, Germany, in November 2018, for shipment to the Kennedy Space Center. The module was shipped on 5 November 2018. The European Service Module (ESM) is being built to be flown with the Orion crew module, formally known as the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV). The ESM provides electricity, propulsion, air and water for the MPCV. Developed by NASA and the ESA, with a test flight taking place in 2014, the first Orion crewed launches are scheduled for around 2023. The Orion spacecraft are intended for use in Earth orbit, and for human exploration of the Moon, the asteroids and of Mars. This ESM module is being built for the second Orion mission, called Exploration Mission-2. Up to four astronauts will fly Orion around the Moon before returning to Earth. The mission will take at least eight days. |