service module

American  

noun

1. (often initial capital letters) the section of an Apollo spacecraft containing the principal propulsion system, electrical system, water, and other supplies.

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service module British  

noun

1. a section of an Apollo spacecraft housing the rocket engine, radar, fuel cells, etc, and jettisoned on re-entry into the earth's atmosphere See also lunar module command module

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Etymology

Origin of service module

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

service module

This summer, engineers plan to join Orion's crew module and service module and install the spacecraft's docking system, which will fly for the first time.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 11, 2026

Behind the crew's seats, the service module lit its single main engine in a long, steady push that added thousands of kilometres per hour to Orion's speed.

From BBC ● Apr. 2, 2026

Its service module, providing propulsion and power, was developed by the European Space Agency, with Airbus serving as lead contractor.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 1, 2026

For the test flight, the European Space Agency’s service module was attached for propulsion and solar power via four wings.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 15, 2022

Yet my calculations had not only helped the Eagle land successfully, but they also helped it to sync back up with the command and service module so that our guys could come back home.

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson