ESA European Space Agency
ESA, the European Space Agency is an intergovernmental organisation of 22 member states dedicated to the exploration of space. Established in 1975 and headquartered in Paris.
Participating countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. ESA is not an EU organisation.
ESA’s space flight programme includes human spaceflight (mainly through participation in the International Space Station program); the launch and operation of unmanned exploration missions to other planets and the Moon; Earth observation, science and telecommunication; designing launch vehicles; and maintaining a major spaceport, the Guiana Space Centre at Kourou (French Guiana), France. The main European launch vehicle Ariane 5 is operated through Arianespace with ESA sharing in the costs of launching and further developing this launch vehicle.
ESA Orion Service Module (SM)
- European Service Module (ESM, SM) for the Orion spacecraft.
- Developed, built and tested by ESA.
- Operated by ESA and NASA.
- Artemis program.
Provides electricity, propulsion, air and water. 15,461 kg. SM components:
- Propulsion: 33 engines, 3 types. 4 tanks with 8000 litres of fuel.
- Thermal control system: Heater and coolant (6 radiators outside the SM).
- Consumables: Air and water (for 6 astronauts on a 20-day mission).
- Solar Arrays: Turn on 2 axes to remain aligned with the Sun. 4 arrays.
- Chassis structure: Holds everything together, absorbs vibrations, covered with Kevlar.
- Avionics: Computers control all aspects of the SM: Propulsion, water, electronics and temperature.
- Three abort scenario using the SM:
- Untargeted abort splashdown,
- Targeted abort splashdown,
- Ascent abort to orbit.
ESA Space Operations Centre
ESA Orion Mission Control Room
- Science missions are based at ESTEC in Noordwijk, Netherlands;
- European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in Noordwijk, the Netherlands.
- European Service Module team.
- Mission control room.
ESA Orion progress
- 16-11-2022 Artemis I mission.
- 22-11-2022 The European Council Meeting at Ministerial Level approved the funding for the manufacturing of SM’s for Artemis VII to IX.
- 23-11-2022 ESA has chosen 17 new astronaut candidates.
- 30-11-2022 President Macron of France visited the NASA MCC in Houston.
- 30-11-2022 SM for Artemis II is at KSC.
- 30-11-2022 SM for Artemis III to VI are being built in Europe at the moment.
ESA astronauts
23-11-2022: The European Space Agency has chosen 17 new astronaut candidates from more than 22.500 applicants from across its Member States. In this new 2022 class of ESA astronauts are five career astronauts, 11 members of an astronaut reserve and one astronaut with a disability.
| Name | Member State | |
| Sophie Adenot | France | Career Astronaut |
| Pablo Álvarez Fernández | Spain | Career Astronaut |
| Meganne Christian | UK | Member of the Astronaut Reserve |
| Anthea Comellini | Italy | Member of the Astronaut Reserve |
| Rosemary Coogan | UK | Career Astronaut |
| Sara García Alonso | Spain | Member of the Astronaut Reserve |
| Raphaël Liégeois | Belgium | Career Astronaut |
| John McFall | UK | Parastronaut Feasibility Study Member |
| Andrea Patassa | Italy | Member of the Astronaut Reserve |
| Carmen Possnig | Austria | Member of the Astronaut Reserve |
| Arnaud Prost | France | Member of the Astronaut Reserve |
| Amelie Schoenenwald | Germany | Member of the Astronaut Reserve |
| Marco Sieber | Switzerland | Career Astronaut |
| Aleš Svoboda | Czech Republic | Member of the Astronaut Reserve |
| Sławosz Uznański | Poland | Member of the Astronaut Reserve |
| Marcus Wandt | Sweden | Member of the Astronaut Reserve |
| Nicola Winter | Germany | Member of the Astronaut Reserve |
ESA management
- Orion European Service Module Program Manager (ESA): Philippe Deloo.
ESA offices
- ESA headquarter is in Paris, France.
- ESA science missions are based at ESTEC in Noordwijk, Netherlands.
- Earth Observation missions at ESA Centre for Earth Observation in Frascati, Italy.
- ESA Mission Control (ESOC) is in Darmstadt, Germany.
- European Astronaut Centre (EAC) that trains astronauts for future missions is situated in Cologne, Germany.
- European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications (ECSAT), a research institute created in 2009, is located in Harwell, England.
- European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC) is located in Villanueva de la Cañada, Madrid, Spain.
- European Space Security and Education Centre (ESEC), located in Redu, Belgium.
- ESTRACK tracking and deep space communication network.
- Many other facilities are operated by national space agencies in close collaboration with ESA.
- Esrange near Kiruna in Sweden.
- Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, France
- Toulouse Space Centre, France.
- Institute of Space Propulsion in Lampoldshausen, Germany.
- Columbus Control Centre in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany.
Footnote
- Sources: Aerospace dashboard, funkystuff.org
- Outgoing: ESA, NASA
- Keywords: Table