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Anne-Sophie Bradelle, Head of the Communication Department at ESA, explains why it is important for the agency to participate in the International Astronautical Congress 2025, underlining how international cooperation is more vital now than ever.

On 10 September 2025, ESA officially handed over its third European Service Module to NASA. The module will power Orion on Artemis III, the mission set to return astronauts to the lunar surface for the first time in over 50 years. This event marks a significant milestone, underlining the acceptance of the module by NASA as well as highlighting the dedication of the many teams across Europe and the United States who are bringing the spacecraft to life.

The third European Service Module was integrated by Airbus in Bremen, Germany, with contributions from industry all over Europe. Sailing across the Atlantic, the module arrived at NASA's Kennedy Space Center last summer, where it was joined with Orion's crew module adapter to form the complete service module. Dr Jan-Hendrik Meiss from Airbus explains the module's progress so far at the Kennedy Space Center.