Artemis II – small German satellite to fly to the Moon
Artemis II – agreement signed between NASA and the German Space Agency at DLR
A small German satellite selected by the German Space Agency at DLR will be on board the Artemis II mission. On 18 September 2024, Catherine Koerner, Associate Administrator of the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington, and Walther Pelzer, DLR Executive Board Member and Director General of the German Space Agency at DLR, signed an agreement to this effect.
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It has been almost 50 years since astronauts last set foot on the Moon (Apollo 17, December 1972). That is set to change before the end of this decade with NASA's Artemis programme planning to once again land humans on Earth's natural satellite. This time, the mission will also include the first woman to travel to the Moon. But that is not all; a permanent base camp is to be established on the Moon in collaboration with international partners. ESM – Space technology 'Made in Germany' A core part of the Orion spacecraft is the European Service Module (ESM), which is being built to a large extent in Germany by the European Space Agency (ESA) on behalf of NASA. It contains the main engine and provides electricity using four solar sails. It also regulates the climate and temperature in the spacecraft and stores fuel, oxygen and water supplies for the crew. The Orion spacecraft, and with it the ESM, is considered a key milestone for future crewed exploration missions to the Moon, but also to Mars and beyond. The Artemis collaboration is the first time NASA has relied on partners from other nations for a critical component of astronautical missions – a tremendous vote of confidence in the capabilities of spacefaring nations in Europe. Under the industrial leadership of Airbus Defence and Space in Bremen, a European industrial consortium involving ten countries has realised the first ESM-1 flight unit. Fittingly, ESM-1 bears the name of the Hanseatic city.
Return to the Moon - ARTEMIS and Germany's involvement
Return to the Moon - ARTEMIS and Germany's involvement
It has been almost 50 years since astronauts last set foot on the Moon (Apollo 17, December 1972). That is set to change before the end of this decade with NASA's Artemis programme planning to once again land humans on Earth's natural satellite. This time, the mission will also include the first woman to travel to the Moon. But that is not all; a permanent base camp is to be established on the Moon in collaboration with international partners. ESM – Space technology 'Made in Germany' A core part of the Orion spacecraft is the European Service Module (ESM), which is being built to a large extent in Germany by the European Space Agency (ESA) on behalf of NASA. It contains the main engine and provides electricity using four solar sails. It also regulates the climate and temperature in the spacecraft and stores fuel, oxygen and water supplies for the crew. The Orion spacecraft, and with it the ESM, is considered a key milestone for future crewed exploration missions to the Moon, but also to Mars and beyond. The Artemis collaboration is the first time NASA has relied on partners from other nations for a critical component of astronautical missions – a tremendous vote of confidence in the capabilities of spacefaring nations in Europe. Under the industrial leadership of Airbus Defence and Space in Bremen, a European industrial consortium involving ten countries has realised the first ESM-1 flight unit. Fittingly, ESM-1 bears the name of the Hanseatic city.
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