Tag: Orion
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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…
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Dual SLS launch campaign required for NASA’s Lunar return
A return to the surface of the Moon would require two Space Launch System (SLS) rockets launching over half a year apart, with a four person crew being transported to the Lunar surface on a multi-billion dollar Lander for a seven day sortie mission. The overview, provided in the latest Concept Of Operations (CONOPS) document,…
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Orion successfully demonstrates safe landing under two parachutes
NASA’s Orion spacecraft successfully achieved a contingency landing scenario on Wednesday, returning under just two of its three parachutes. The test – conducted at the U.S. Army’s Yuma Proving Ground in the Arizona desert – was the latest in a series of drops ahead of Orion’s return “for real” during the Exploration Flight Test -1…