MADRID, SPAIN — EcosimPro/ESPSS has played an important role in the development and validation of the European Service Module, ESA’s critical contribution to NASA’s Orion spacecraft and the Artemis programme.

Orion is designed to carry astronauts safely beyond low Earth orbit, supporting missions to the Moon and future deep-space exploration. The European Service Module provides essential spacecraft functions, including propulsion, power, thermal control and life-support resources. Given the demanding requirements for crew safety, reliability and mission performance, advanced system-level modelling and simulation have been essential from the early design phase through qualification and acceptance testing.

EcosimPro, together with ESPSS — the European Space Propulsion System Simulation toolkit developed for ESA — has enabled high-fidelity transient simulations of the complete propulsion subsystem. These models allow engineers to predict system behaviour across a wide range of mission scenarios, from nominal operations to critical off-nominal conditions.

A key challenge in spacecraft propulsion is the accurate prediction of highly dynamic transient phenomena, including pressure surges, valve interactions, priming sequences and fluid instabilities. EcosimPro-based models have been used to support analyses such as:

  • Pressure regulation and ullage control, helping ensure stable propellant tank conditions during flight.
  • Rapid valve operation and flow interaction studies, where transient effects can generate significant loads on spacecraft hardware.
  • Priming and start-up sequence simulations, where pressure spikes must be carefully assessed to protect system integrity.

These studies were carried out by organisations including ESA-ESTEC in Noordwijk, the Netherlands; Airbus Defence and Space in Bremen, Germany; and NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, USA. The resulting models were also used to assess and interpret data observed during acceptance tests of flight hardware.

As Artemis missions help establish a sustained human presence on the Moon and prepare the way for future journeys to Mars, robust modelling and simulation tools such as EcosimPro/ESPSS remain essential to improving confidence, reducing risk and supporting mission success.

About EcosimPro/ESPSS

EcosimPro is an advanced modelling and simulation platform used worldwide across industries including aerospace, energy, environmental systems and water treatment.

ESPSS, the European Space Propulsion System Simulation toolkit, is ESA’s modelling set of EcosimPro libraries for space propulsion systems. It provides ready-to-use multiphysics components for 0D and 1D modelling and simulation of complex propulsion phenomena, enabling engineers to analyse system behaviour efficiently and accurately across a wide range of operating conditions.