Tag: Orion
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SLS launch rate requires repetitive cadence – Gerstenmaier
NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) will launch at least once per year, as a “necessary” requirement, according to Bill Gerstenmaier. NASA’s Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations recently addressed concerns over the near term schedule for the monster rocket, which will not launch humans until the next decade. SLS: The new Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle (HLV)…
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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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SLS upper stage proposals reveal increasing payload-to-destination options
With less than a year to go before the inaugural flight of NASA’s Orion crew capsule and just over four years until the debut of the SLS rocket in 2017, work on the massive Heavy Lift Vehicle continues with ongoing proposals and studies targeting the vehicle’s upper stage. Expanding SLS capabilities: As the Space Launch…
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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…
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European duo heading for fiery farewells
Two European spacecraft are currently enjoying their final moments high above the planet, as they continue their descent towards a fiery re-entry. ATV-4 – which recently undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) – is set to re-enter on Saturday, while the GOCE spacecraft has already begun its slow drop towards its ultimate fate. GOCE:…
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EFT-1 Orion comes to life via first power up
The Exploration Flight Test -1 (EFT-1) Orion has been powered up for the first time ahead of its launch next summer. The test – conducted inside the Operations and Checkout (O&C) building at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) – successfully demonstrated the crew module avionics were integrated properly and are in good health. EFT-1 Orion: NASA’s…
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NASA Con Ops Assess Baseline Features for SLS/Orion Mission to Mars
More clues into NASA’s long term goal of sending humans to Mars have been provided in the latest revision of the Space Launch System (SLS) Concept of Operations (Con Ops) presentation. The document confirms the agency is siding with a version of the Mars Design Reference Architecture 5.0, utilizing multiple SLS launches, including nuclear stages,…
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NASA managers evaluate yearlong deep space asteroid mission
On track for their respective debuts, NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion feature front and center in one of NASA’s latest evaluations for a mission to a deep space near-Earth asteroid (NEA). The conceptual mission, set after SLS’ opening salvo of flights, would send a crew of four on a yearlong voyage to study…
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Orion rallying call as EFT-1 closes in on T-12 months
NASA brought out the big guns this week to rally the Orion workforce with an address aimed at highlighting the “huge amount of progress” that has been made on the spacecraft, urging workers to avoid getting “distracted” by budget uncertainties. Orion is moving ever-closer to its first trip into space, with the Exploration Flight Test…