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

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

Ms. Harris said the European Space Agency built the service module that will carry Artemis astronauts to the moon and that Europe, Japan and Canada will make “significant contributions” to the lunar space station.

From Washington Times • Dec. 20, 2023

The service module for Orion, built by Airbus as part of the European Space Agency’s contributions to the moon missions, was delivered last year.

From New York Times • Dec. 11, 2022

It's built Orion's service module, which provides the power and propulsion for the voyage.

From BBC • Nov. 21, 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