Airbus
Built the European Service Module powering Orion on Artemis II.
Last refreshed: 3 April 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
What role does Airbus play in the Artemis Moon programme?
Latest on Airbus
- What does Airbus have to do with the Moon mission?
- Airbus Defence and Space built the European Service Module that powers and sustains Orion on Artemis II.Source: ESA mission documentation
- Where is the Orion service module built?
- Airbus assembles the ESM in Bremen, Germany, with components from 13 ESA member states.Source: ESA mission documentation
- Why is a Space Shuttle engine on the Artemis spacecraft?
- The ESM main engine is a refurbished Shuttle OMS-E that flew six prior shuttle missions, reused for cost efficiency.Source: Lowdown briefing coverage
Background
Airbus Defence and Space built the European Service Module (ESM-2) that is powering and sustaining the Orion capsule on Artemis II. Assembled in Bremen with components from 13 ESA member states, the module provides propulsion, power, thermal control, and life support. Its main engine is a refurbished Space Shuttle OMS-E that flew six prior shuttle missions.
Airbus is Europe's largest aerospace manufacturer, headquartered in Leiden with principal operations in Toulouse, Hamburg, and Bremen. The Defence and Space division handles military aircraft, satellites, and human spaceflight hardware. The ESM contract, worth approximately EUR 2 billion across six modules, is ESA's contribution in kind to the Artemis programme.
The ESM gives Europe a structural stake in Artemis: without it, Orion cannot reach the Moon. That dependency is Europe's leverage in negotiations over crew access, lunar surface time, and Gateway participation, even after Gateway's cancellation left the programme's international architecture uncertain.