From Nerviano to the Moon: Leonardo builds the panels for the Orion spacecraft

Villaggio sulla Luna - crediti foto: ESA, P. Carril

*Translated by Sara Pasino

NERVIANONASA has recently announced the launch for the first Artemis mission, a program in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) to bring the first woman and another man to the moon. A space adventure in which Leonardo plays a key role, as about 50 of its engineers and experienced technicians have provided some materials for the Orion spacecraft.

Humans back on the Moon 

The best of the world’s space industry is now focused on the next lunar missions. An ambitious plan, developed by NASA with the collaboration of ESA, that 50 years after the last lunar walk of Eugene Cernan, will bring humanity back to set foot on the satellite, starting with a female astronaut. The name chosen by the American space agency for this program is “Artemis”, goddess of Greek mythology and twin sister of Apollo – the one who had inspired the name of the first American missions to the moon. Artemis’ goal is to return to the Earth’s satellite and remain there. The Moon will not be just an arrival point, but a starting point, because the next step will be to test the technologies needed to carry out human missions on Mars. The human presence on the lunar soil will be sustainable also from an environmental point of view and will allow researchers to acquire useful knowledge for life on Earth as well. 

The program

There are several elements that make up the ambitious Artemis program, including a launch system (Space Launch System or Sls), the Orion spacecraft that will carry astronauts, a Lunar Gateway, which will be the home for the astronauts around the Moon, and a lunar landing system. There are three stages in the programme and they are divided into three missions.

Artemis I – It involves the test of the Space Launch System with the unmanned test flight of Orion around the Moon and back. Three launch windows are already planned for this mission, the first on 29 August, the next on 2 and 5 September. The rocket that will take the spacecraft into orbit will depart from Launch Complex 39B of the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, the same as the Apollo missions. Orion will spend up to six weeks in space, revolve around the Moon and then return to Earth, landing off the coast of San Diego.

Artemis II – This phase will carry out the first flight test around the Moon with the crew on board. This second mission will serve to demonstrate that Orion’s systems are ready to support astronauts in long-term missions and will allow the crew to practice operations essential to the success of the next mission.

Artemis III – This will mark the return of humanity to the surface of the Moon, landing the first woman and another man.

The contribution of Leonardo

«This day will mark the history of space exploration», says Giovanni Fuggetta, senior vice president of Leonardo’s Divisional Space Business, that will follow the launch of the first Artemis mission in a few weeks from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. «At that moment we will see the effort of about 50 Leonardo engineers and technicians acknowledged. They have produced ‘wings’ and electronic units for the power supply of the Orion European service module». 

Italy, with the contribution of the Italian Space Agency (ASI), plays a role of primary importance in the Artemis program, especially in its developments for the permanence of people on the moon and in its next journey to Mars. At the industrial level, thanks to Leonardo and the joint ventures Thales Alenia Space (67% Thales, 33% Leonardo) and Telespazio (67% Leonardo, 33% Thales), a series of distinctive competences in the field of infrastructure are made available – robotics, artificial intelligence and connectivity, as well as services and operations that will be of strategic importance to Artemis. This contribution is distributed among the different elements of the program.

The panels for Orion

Orion, the spacecraft, is equipped with the capsule that will host the astronauts during the trip and with the European Service Module (ESM) of ESA, the module that provides electricity, propulsion, thermal control, air and water to travellers. Leonardo, at the Nerviano plant, has built the photovoltaic panels that make up the four “wings” of the service module: these are seven metres each and are able to deliver about 11kw total for the supply of on-board electronics. 

The electronics units for the control and distribution of energy to the spacecraft are also produced in Lombardy. Thales Alenia Space, on the other hand, took care of the production of the structure of the Esm module and of the critical subsystems, including the system for protection from micrometeorites and thermal control. «We are proud to be able to support humanity’s vision and wit in order to create stable communities on the Moon, today with high-tech equipment, tomorrow with robotics, atomic clocks and sensors, technologies. We have been developing these for over 60 years here in Leonardo,» adds Fuggetta.

Nerviano leonardo orion spacecraft moon – MALPENSA24