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

On arrival, the service module, which has the spacecraft's primary propulsion system, separates from the crew module.

From BBC • Sep. 23, 2025

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

The plane launched on May 17, 2020, carrying for the first time a service module that augmented how much it could take into space.

From Washington Times • Nov. 12, 2022

The command service module was the astronauts’ bus—their only bus—back to Earth: the lander would ferry the astronauts to the waiting service module and then be discarded.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly