Artemis II - round the moon in ten days

Artemis II – round the moon in ten days

Artemis II completed a 10-day journey around the Moon, carrying humanity farther into space than it has gone in over 50 years.

ESA played a critical role in the mission’s success. The European Service Module powered and sustained Orion throughout the journey, providing propulsion, power, water and breathable air for the crew.

Mostly built with contributions from 13 ESA Member States: Germany, Italy, France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium. Also Spain, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Austria, the United Kingdom and Luxembourg—the module represents Europe’s strength in international cooperation.

Looking ahead, ESA will continue to deliver on its commitments to the Artemis programme while advancing Europe’s own ambitions in exploration. Work is underway to strengthen autonomy in key space capabilities and define Europe’s role across low Earth orbit, the Moon and Mars.

As a new era of exploration unfolds, Europe is positioning itself as a strong, reliable and competitive partner in the emerging lunar economy.

The Artemis crew:

1) NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, Artemis II commander

2) NASA astronaut Victor Glover, Artemis II pilot

3) NASA astronaut Christina Koch, Artemis II mission specialist

4) Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, Artemis II mission specialist

Credit: European Space Agency