John Crane Provides Critical Components for NASA Artemis I Mission and Orion Spacecraft

Bespoke Propellent Management Sieves Play Key Role in Propulsion System Components

CHICAGO (December 15, 2022) ― John Crane, a global leader in rotating equipment and filtration solutions, supplying engineered technologies and services to process industries, supported the recent National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Artemis I mission by providing critical components for the European Service Module that is responsible for propelling and maneuvering the Orion spacecraft.

John Crane provided more than 20 bespoke propellant management sieves to ArianeGroup as part of the larger key propulsion system components supplied to Airbus Defence and Space as part of the contribution to NASA for the Artemis I mission. The sieves are used in the propellant management devices for separating liquid and gas phases inside the propellant tanks while providing unrestricted flow when propulsion is required for maneuvering the spacecraft.

"We are very proud to be part of this pioneering mission by supplying reliable, mission-critical parts for the propulsion system," said Dr. Thomas Grimm-Bosbach, John Crane Portfolio Director, Filtration. "In a decade-long cooperation between ArianeGroup and John Crane's German filtration division, a technology has been developed to combine highly precise stainless steel wire meshes with titanium structural parts, used in the corrosive and structurally demanding environment of a spacecraft propellant tank."

“Every piece of equipment for this kind of spacecraft, especially as Artemis 2 will be a crewed mission, needs to undergo a demanding qualification and acceptance program,” said Dr. Nicolas Fries, who led the Orion propellant tank development at ArianeGroup. “For the sieves, this included vibration tests and functional performance tests like pressure drop and bubble point testing. During the sieve development phase, we had to combine the extensive sieve manufacturing expertise from John Crane with the space engineering know-how of ArianeGroup. It was a great experience to see the design evolving until finally the first hardware arrived for testing. The strict quality control and documentation needs are points that distinguish a space product from a ‘standard industrial product.’ John Crane has proven to be a reliable supplier for such critical elements and we are looking forward to continue our cooperation. Future Artemis missions will further extend human presence in the solar system and we are thrilled to be part of this exciting journey.”

The uncrewed Orion spacecraft flying on NASA's Artemis 1 mission launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on November 16, traveling 280,000 miles from Earth and 40,000 miles beyond the far side of the Moon. Orion returned to Earth, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean on December 11.

According to the mission overview published by NASA, "With Artemis I, NASA sets the stage for human exploration into deep space, where astronauts will build and begin testing the systems near the Moon needed for lunar surface missions and exploration to other destinations farther from Earth, including Mars."

John Crane is a global leader in rotating equipment solutions, supplying engineered technologies and services to process industries. The company designs and manufactures a variety of products, including mechanical seals and systems, couplings, filtration systems and digital diagnostics technologies. John Crane customer service is accessed through a global network of more than 200 sales and service facilities in over 50 countries. Global reported revenue for fiscal year 2022 was $1.2 billion USD. John Crane is part of Smiths Group, a global leader in applying advanced technologies for markets in threat and contraband detection, energy, medical devices, communications, and engineered components.

ArianeGroup is lead contractor for civil and defense space launcher systems, responsible for the design and the entire production process of Europe's Ariane 5 and Ariane 6, including marketing and operation by its Arianespace subsidiary, as well as for the design, manufacture, and operational condition maintenance of the missiles of the French oceanic deterrent force. Internationally recognized for its innovative, competitive solutions, ArianeGroup has expertise in all aspects of state-of-the-art space propulsion technologies. ArianeGroup and its subsidiaries also offer their specialist skills in space equipment, services, space surveillance, and critical infrastructure to benefit other industrial sectors. ArianeGroup is a joint venture equally owned by Airbus and Safran, and employs around 7,000 highly qualified staff in France and Germany. Group revenues in 2021 amounted to €3.1 billion.