Aerospace coordinator Zypries: Technology from Germany for … – PresseBox (press release)

         The coordinator of the federal government for the German aerospace and Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister of Economy and Energy, Brigitte Zypries, attended the signing ceremony for the development of a European service module for the manned space capsule Orion today. The European Space Agency has the Airbus aerospace division Defence and Space in Bremen tasked to develop this service module for the new US space capsule Orion

Secretary Brigitte Zypries this. “The development of the European service module for the US Department -Raumschiff Orion shows how well placed is the European space industry. Of course We are particularly pleased that the system responsible for the service module in Germany will be. This is a special award for the German high technology in the space field. “

the contract signing is an important step in space between Europe and USA documented since the American space agency NASA with the European Service Module (ESM) will procure key technologies for a space capsule outside the US for the first time. The ESM is intended to serve the American Orion capsule as a drive unit that provide solar power and store important mission goods such as oxygen and water. The first test flight with astronauts to the moon to take place in 2021.

The European service module is based on technologies that were already in the ATV program to use. Developed with German-French leadership on behalf of ESA spacecraft “Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV)” is the most complex spacecraft Europe has been developed. After the successful first flight in 2008 four more ATVs in Bremen were built at Airbus Defence and Space. So also the last ATV “Georges Lemaître,” which will end its mission early next year. With its five successful missions, the ATV is a European success story.