ESA agreed with NASA on 16 January to contribute a driving force to the Orion spacecraft planned for launch in 2017. Ultimately, Orion will carry astronauts further into space than ever before using a module based on Europe’s Automated Transfer Vehicle technology.
Briefing participants include: William H. Gerstenmaier, NASA Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations, Thomas Reiter, ESA Director of Human Spaceflight and Operations, Mark Geyer, NASA Orion Program Manager, and Bernardo Patti, ESA Manager of International Space Station Operations.
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.