Tag: Orion
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Boeing discusses use of SLS for robust lunar program
As the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket continues development for its debut mission in December 2017, the Boeing company has identified several exploration architectures that would be enabled by the superior capability of the Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle (HLV) – ranging from missions to the Moon, through to expeditions to Mars. SLS architecture paves the way for human return to…
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VAB integration between SLS and Orion outlined by SPIO
NASA’s Spacecraft and Payload Integration Office (SPIO) has outlined the complex process of integrating Orion on to the Space Launch System (SLS) stack during processing inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). The integration plan will be first put into action ahead of the opening SLS mission in 2017. How To Mate Orion With SLS: The…
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NASA interest in 2024 Mars Sample Return Mission using SLS and Orion
The Mars Program Planning Group (MPPG) have added meat to the bones of a proposal that would result in the Space Launch System (SLS), Orion and a Mars spacecraft making up the key elements of a Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission. With large support already communicated to lawmakers, the notional mission aims to utilize a secondary…
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UK steps up, as ESA commit to ATV Service Module on NASA’s Orion
The European Space Agency (ESA) have announced they will inform NASA they are ready to build an ATV derived Service Module for Orion, to be ready for the first launch of the Space Launch System (SLS) in 2017. The announcement came after the UK stepped up with additional funding, marking the country’s first real human…
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EM-2: Orion crew to spend up to four days in Lunar Orbit
The first crewed mission of NASA’s Beyond Earth Orbit (BEO) exploration era will send a crew of four on a short vacation into Lunar orbit in 2021. Exploration Mission -2 (EM-2) will be a key test of Orion’s life support systems, following a baseline path laid out by EM-1, the uncrewed debut of the Space…
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SLS and Orion endure rigorous wind tunnel testing
Both the Space Launch System (SLS) and the Orion crew capsule have continued their wind tunnel testing this month, with the Block 1 Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle (HLV) – otherwise known as the SLS-1000x – set to facilitate a complete aerodynamic force and moment database delivery by the end of this year. SLS Wind Tunnel…
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NASA evaluate rescue plans for Orion crew after off-nominal landing
NASA teams are continuing to set up the mission rules for their Orion spacecraft, with the latest set of expansive “Concept of Operations (CONOPS)” outlines including scenarios for keeping a crew alive after they have splashed down at the end of a mission. The scenarios include off-nominal landings, where a crew may require rescue from…
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NASA’s EFT-1 Orion into 17 months of outfitting at KSC
The Exploration Flight Test Orion (EFT-1) is into its first month of outfitting operations, aimed at turning what is a shell of a structure into a real spaceship. The outfitting operations at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) will take 17 months, using the bulk of the processing flow timeline ahead of its scheduled launch atop of a…
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Orion program deep into production, processing and testing for EFT-1
After a somewhat unhappy childhood, that included an abrupt and costly cancellation, the Orion program is now full speed ahead for its Exploration Flight Test (EFT-1). The Orion tasked with the 2014 mission is now being outfitted in Florida, as adaptor hardware related to EFT-1 – and its debut on the Space Launch System (SLS)…
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NASA ESD set key Orion requirement based on Lunar missions
NASA’s new spaceship, the Orion crew capsule, will be able to actively host a crew for 21 days, a requirement designed to cover all exploration missions, but mainly those outlined in the Lunar sorties Design Reference Missions (DRM) – missions that will see the crew spend more time in Orion, compared to long duration missions…