Tag: EFT-1
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EFT-1 Orion completes outfitting, ready for fueling
NASA’s first space-worthy Orion spacecraft is preparing for her next key milestone in the flow towards December’s Exploration Flight Test -1 (EFT-1) mission. The completed Orion, now stacked on the Service Module, will be moved from her home in the Operations & Checkout (O&C) building this week, ahead of fueling operations. EFT-1 Orion: It’s been…
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EFT-1 Orion targets morning launch on December 4
The long-awaited debut flight of NASA’s Orion spacecraft has been scheduled for a morning launch on December 4, a major milestone after nearly 10 years of development. With a window of around 60 minutes, her ride uphill on the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV-Heavy rocket is targeting a T-0 of 08:03 Eastern Time, from…
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Orion conducts final full system parachute test ahead of EFT-1
As the launch date for Exploration Flight Test -1 (EFT-1) closes in, the Orion team conducted the final major parachute testing ahead of gaining data from an actual return from space. The latest parachute drop test was the “sportiest” of the series so far – pushing the system through several failure modes to see if…
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EFT-1 Orion’s heat shield installed ahead of key flight test
The huge heat shield that will protect the first Orion’s return from space has been installed on to the spacecraft. Exploration Flight Test -1 (EFT-) – set to launch at the end of this year – will provide an array of data on how the vehicle and heat shield perform during the speedy entry, which…
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Evolving plans: No human rating for ICPS for SLS EM-1 mission
With SLS on track to make its debut launch in December 2017 from Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center, NASA continues its efforts to refine the vehicle’s test flight necessities ahead of EM-1 – particularly, the removal of the requirement to human rate the rocket’s Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage. SLS Block 1 and…
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EFT-1 Orion’s brain becomes active ahead of flight
The Orion for the Exploration Flight Test -1 (EFT-1) mission has completed its avionics system testing inside Kennedy Space Center’s Operations & Checkout (O&C) Building. The testing follows the activation of its flight computer, with the avionics system serving as the eyes, ears and brains of the spacecraft. EFT-1 is scheduled to launch at the end…
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EFT-1 Orion slips to December – Allows military satellite to launch first
Orion’s first trip into space has been delayed by nearly three months, following a manifest decision that prioritized the launch of a military satellite for the Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness (GEO SSA) system. Due to manifest pressure and spacing requirements between Delta IV launches, a USAF manifest board moved to ensure to the military satellite was given…
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US Navy Eightballers to monitor EFT-1 Orion’s return
The United States Navy are deep into preparations for supporting the key test milestones for NASA’s Exploration Flight Test -1 (EFT-1) mission. The Navy are involved both on sea and in the air for the recovery testing set to take place off the coast of California early this year, while arranging for the use of…
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Heat Shield for EFT-1 Orion arrives at KSC
The processing flow is heating up for the first Orion set to launch into space, as key elements of the Exploration Flight Test -1 (EFT-1) mission arrive for integration at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). With the inert Launch Abort System (LAS) now pieced together, Wednesday saw the arrival of Orion’s Heat Shield, flown in…
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Piecing together and blowing apart – EFT-1 Orion progress
NASA’s Orion spacecraft is deep into the business end of its preparations for the Exploration Flight Test -1 (EFT-1) next year, with associated hardware providing a glimpse into the future of the vehicle. While the stage adaptor test article prepares for pressure testing, Lockheed Martin successfully jettisoned the Service Module’s three protective fairing panels, certifying…