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NASA, ESA Sign Deal for ATV-proven Service Module for Orion

Wednesday, January 16, 2013 17:00

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(Before It's News)

WASHINGTON, D.C. and PARIS, France — NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) have signed an agreement for the ESA to provide a service module for the Orion spacecraft’s Exploration Mission-1 in 2017. The announcement was made on Jan. 16 during a news briefing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

When Orion blasts off atop a Space Launch System rocket in 2017, attached will be the ESA-provided service module — the powerhouse that fuels and propels the Orion spacecraft. Exploration Mission-1 in 2017 will be the first mission to incorporate both the Orion vehicle and NASA’s new Space Launch System. It will follow the upcoming Exploration Flight Test-1 in 2014, in which an uncrewed Orion will launch atop a Delta IV Heavy rocket and fly to an altitude of 3,600 miles above Earth’s surface, farther than a human spacecraft has gone in 40 years.

Orion Exploration Mission-1 Animation – NASA

Ultimately, Orion will carry astronauts further into space than ever before using a module based on Europe’s Automated Transfer Vehicle technology.

Automated Transfer Vehicles (ATVs) have been resupplying the International Space Station since 2008. The fourth in the series, ATVAlbert Einstein, is being readied for launch next year from Kourou, French Guiana.

The ATV-derived service module, sitting directly below Orion’s crew capsule, will provide propulsion, power, thermal control, as well as supplying water and gas to the astronauts in the habitable module.

This collaboration between ESA and NASA continues the spirit of international cooperation that forms the foundation of the International Space Station.

ATV is a versatile showcase of European technology performing many functions during a mission to the International Space Station. The space freighter reboosts the Station and can even push the orbital complex out of the way of space debris. While docked, ATV becomes an extra module for the astronauts. Lastly, at the end of its mission it leaves the Space Station with waste materials.

The Press Briefing from NASA Headquarters, Houston, Texas (59 min.)

“ATV has proven itself on three flawless missions to the Space Station and this agreement is further confirmation that Europe is building advanced, dependable spacecraft,” said Nico Dettmann, Head of ATV’s production program.

Dan Dumbacher, deputy associate administrator for exploration systems development at NASA headquarters in Washington DC, agrees: “It is a testament to the engineering progress made to date that we are ready to begin integrating designs of an ESA-built service module with Orion.”

Thomas Reiter, ESA director of Human Spaceflight and Operations says: “NASA’s decision to cooperate with ESA on their exploration programme with ESA delivering a critical element for the mission is a strong sign of trust and confidence in ESA’s capabilities, for ESA it is an important contribution to human exploration.”

The first Orion mission will be an uncrewed lunar fly-by in 2017, returning to Earth atmosphere at a speed of 11 km/s – the fastest reentry ever.