TÜV NORD subsidiary ALTER is making significant contributions to NASA’s (US National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and ESA’s (European Space Agency) upcoming Artemis II mission. For the first time in more than 50 years, humans are scheduled to travel to the Moon again next week.
TÜV NORD subsidiary ALTER is making significant contributions to NASA’s (US National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and ESA’s (European Space Agency) upcoming Artemis II mission. For the first time in more than 50 years, humans are scheduled to travel to the Moon again next week. NASA has already placed the rocket system on the launch pad for Artemis II. ALTER TÜV NORD has carried out essential tests and inspections.
“Artemis II sets new standards for international cooperation and technological excellence. ALTER’s role in this mission confirms our commitment to enabling safety at the highest technological level,” says TÜV NORD CEO Dirk Stenkamp.
The mission is to take astronauts to the vicinity of the moon in the Orion spacecraft. Over a period of ten days, they will orbit the Moon for research purposes. Orion consists of the US-built crew module and the central propulsion and support unit, the European Service Module (ESM), which is provided by ESA. For the ESM, ALTER procured and tested more than 20,000 electronic components. These are responsible, among other things, for Orion’s power supply, its fuel system, and the safe provision of water and oxygen for the crew.
ALTER specialises in ensuring that space systems and components operate reliably and can withstand the extreme conditions of space, such as extreme temperature fluctuations and the vibrations experienced during rocket launch. “The testing requirements for this lunar mission are among the strictest in the world,” explains Manuel Morales, responsible for component and product assurance at ALTER. “It’s about transporting people safely to the Moon and back to Earth on the most exciting space mission since Apollo 17.”
NASA placed the rocket system on the launch pad together with the Orion spacecraft at the launch complex of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The launch window for the mission opens on 1 April 2026.
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