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ESA Completes Orion Module for Upcoming Artemis Missions

11/14/2025

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Summary

Story summary

The European Space Agency (ESA) has finished the service module for NASA's Orion spacecraft, essential for the Artemis 4 mission to the moon.
This module will be sent to NASA's Kennedy Space Center for integration.
The Trump administration's proposed NASA budget for 2026 sought to reduce funding for lunar exploration, but the Big Beautiful Bill allocated $2.6 billion for the Lunar Gateway and $41.1 billion for the Space Launch System (SLS).
Artemis 2 is scheduled to send humans to the moon's orbit in April 2026, followed by Artemis 3 in 2027 and Artemis 4 in 2028, which will deliver the Lunar I-Hab module to the Gateway.

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Story summary

The European Space Agency (ESA) has finished the service module for NASA's Orion spacecraft, essential for the Artemis 4 mission to the moon.
This module will be sent to NASA's Kennedy Space Center for integration.
The Trump administration's proposed NASA budget for 2026 sought to reduce funding for lunar exploration, but the Big Beautiful Bill allocated $2.6 billion for the Lunar Gateway and $41.1 billion for the Space Launch System (SLS).
Artemis 2 is scheduled to send humans to the moon's orbit in April 2026, followed by Artemis 3 in 2027 and Artemis 4 in 2028, which will deliver the Lunar I-Hab module to the Gateway.