26/05/2020 (Agence Europe) – The European Space Agency (ESA) announced on Tuesday 26 May that it has signed a contract with Airbus to build the third European service module for NASA's Orion spacecraft, which will carry the next astronauts to the Moon. Orion is the size of a small house with the European service module occupying the first floor with a diameter and height of 4 metres. It has four solar wings that extend 19 m in diameter to produce enough energy to power two homes. It carries 8.6 tons of fuel to power Orion's main engine and 32 thrusters. The third Artemis mission will take astronauts to Earth's Moon in 2024 - the first to land on the Moon since Apollo 17 after an interruption of more than 50 years. (PH)