How Europe will power the journey to the Moon and back
European Space Agency officials confirmed on 27 March 2026 that the European Service Module (ESM) will serve as the propulsion, power and life‑support backbone for NASA’s Artemis II crewed lunar flyby. The module will enable astronauts to travel around the Moon and return safely to Earth, forming the central element of the deep‑space segment of the mission. ESA released the announcement through a dedicated video posted on its website and YouTube channel, marking the agency’s latest contribution to the international Artemis program.
The ESM, mounted on the Orion crew capsule, provides the thrust required for trans‑lunar injection, generates the electrical power that drives navigation, communications and thermal‑control subsystems, and sustains cabin atmosphere and temperature for the crew throughout the lunar trajectory. ESA’s four‑minute‑thirteen‑second video is available in two MP4 files—35.06 MB for quick streaming and a 763.90 MB high‑resolution version for download. The presentation includes automatically generated closed captions that can be selected in the YouTube player, an embedded iframe code for web integration, and a non‑YouTube download option accessed via the page’s “download” button. Distribution of the material follows the ESA Standard Licence, and the page offers full cookie consent controls to ensure optimal video quality and sharing functionality.
By supplying the service module, ESA reinforces its partnership with NASA and demonstrates Europe’s capacity to provide critical hardware for human deep‑space exploration. The publicly available video underscores the agency’s role in the Artemis II mission and reflects a broader strategy of collaborative lunar endeavors, positioning Europe as a key supplier of propulsion, power and life‑support systems for forthcoming crewed missions beyond low Earth orbit.
