The Orion spacecraft is a vital element of NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to land the first woman and the next man on the moon by 2024. The European Space Agency is overseeing the development of the European Service Module (ESM), the part of the Orion spacecraft that provides air, electricity, and propulsion. In November 2018, ESA delivered the first module—known as ESM-1—to NASA’s Cape Canaveral in Florida. In a launch expected early 2022, Orion and its attached ESM-1 are expected to fly near the Moon, but not land, as part of an uncrewed test. ESM-1’s main engine and 32 thrusters will propel Orion into orbit around the Moon and then back to Earth. “The first mission will bring us uncrewed to the Moon, and the second vehicle is then a vehicle which will bring, NASA is planning four astronauts to the Moon, just circling around the Moon,” explains ESM …