NASA’s uncrewed Artemis I test flight saw Orion travel around the Moon and farther than any spacecraft designed to carry humans and return them to Earth. The landing for the Artemis I mission starts with a collision course with Earth to test the reentry, hitting our atmosphere at speeds of 40 times the speed of sound.

Just 40 minutes before splashdown, having delivered Orion safely back to Earth, ESA’s European Service Module (ESM) with its Crew Module Adapter will detach from the crew capsule. As planned, the ESM will up harmlessly in the atmosphere as the Orion Crew Module guides itself through reentry, orienting the capsule with its own thrusters, releasing its parachutes and gracefully splashing down. Recovery teams will collect the capsule.

Artemis is the international lunar exploration programme that is taking humankind to the Moon. This first mission provided a first test of both NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) and the Orion moonship that was propelled by the ESM’s 33 engines beyond the Moon and into deep space. Future European Service Modules will provide electricity, propulsion and cabin thermal control for astronauts on lunar missions as well as breathable atmosphere and drinking water.