Following the success of the Artemis II mission and the return of the four astronauts aboard the Orion capsule, we are incredibly proud to share the “little” part we played in this historic journey to the Moon!
Appointed by Airbus Netherlands, which developed the solar arrays for the European Service Module of the Orion spacecraft, our teams in Bremen and Ratingen, Germany performed specialized Thermography (IRT Lock-In) inspections on 12 solar panel assemblies, including the extension arms and tubes.
Our Mission-Critical Inspections Included:
- Post-manufacturing CFRP tubes: Inspecting non-coated rectangular CFRP (Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Plastic) connecting tubes for delamination and material inhomogeneity
- Assembled extension arms: Ensuring the structural integrity of the arm and tube assemblies after integration
- Post-load test sandwich panels: Verifying the connection areas on both the cell and rear sides of the Orion Solar Panels to ensure zero inhomogeneity after rigorous testing.
The journey continues
Having supported Artemis II, our teams also provided similar expert NDT support for Artemis III and Artemis IV which are planned for 2027 and 2028.
Congratulations to our team in Germany and the entire Artemis II team on a successful mission.
We are honored to help light the way for the future of space exploration!