The Orion spacecraft for Artemis II, the first crewed mission to the Moon in over 50 years, is now equipped with its powerful solar wings. Built and attached by European engineers, these four, seven-metre-long solar arrays are attached to ESA's European Service Module, rotating to absorb the most sunlight and provide essential power to Orion and its crew as they travel to the Moon and back.

The solar arrays were manufactured by engineers at Airbus in the Netherlands and were sent to the United States in 2023. Since then, they have been through rigorous testing, including an acoustic test that simulates the intense vibrations at launch. Last week, engineers from Airbus installed the four solar arrays at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. They carefully secured each wing with 16 hold-down mechanisms to ensure stability during launch; once in orbit, an electrical current will trigger deployment, allowing the panels to unfold automatically.

With the solar wings now installed, the next step is to add protective fairing panels around the European Service Module. Once Orion reaches space, these panels will detach, and the solar arrays will unfold to greet the Sun's light, powering the spacecraft.

Learn more about the intricate solar array installation process on our blog.