Helping humans to the Moon is a dream come true for a UK engineer

Sian Cleaver, an engineer from Chelmsford working for Airbus in Germany, helped build the solar arrays and propulsion components for the European Service Module that will power NASA's Artemis II mission. Artemis II is due to launch later this week and will carry four astronauts on a 10-day flight around the Moon.

Sian Cleaver, an engineer originally from Chelmsford, has worked on parts of the spacecraft that will carry astronauts around the Moon. She is employed by Airbus in Germany and was part of teams in Bremen that produced large solar arrays used on the European Service Module for NASA's Artemis II. The module and associated propulsion elements will power the Orion spacecraft for a planned 10-day crewed flight that is due to launch later this week. Local engineers and firms involved in space hardware described a sense of pride at seeing components they made travel toward deep space. Key facts: - Sian Cleaver, 36, worked on large solar arrays and related hardware for the European Service Module used on NASA's Artemis II mission. - Airbus in Germany built propulsion elements for the Orion spacecraft on Artemis II, according to the report. - Artemis II is scheduled to carry four astronauts on a roughly 10-day mission that will fly around the Moon and is the closest humans will have been to the lunar surface since 1972. - Cleaver, a former Chelmsford County High School for Girls pupil, said working on a human space flight mission fulfilled a long-held ambition and she expects continued progress in lunar exploration. - David Morris, chief engineer at Teledyne e2v in Chelmsford, noted that his team's cameras and imaging equipment have been used by space agencies worldwide, including on missions such as New Horizons to Pluto. Summary: The account links work done by engineers in Essex and Germany to components on a crewed lunar mission, highlighting local contributions to Artemis II. The mission is due to launch later this week and will orbit the Moon for about ten days; further milestones will follow according to agency schedules.