As managers work on finalizing the exploration roadmap for their new flagship vehicles, one of the first pieces in the puzzle \u2013 the debut of the Orion crew vehicle in space \u2013 has been given final approval by NASA. The Exploration Test Flight (EFT-1) will see Orion launched by a Della IV-Heavy from Cape Canaveral in the latter part of 2013 \u2013 or early 2014.<\/p>\n
EFT-1:<\/p>\n
Known previously as the Orion or Orbital Flight Test (OFT-1), the recent change of name for the test relates to Orion\u2019s refocused role of Beyond Earth Orbit (BEO) exploration missions, which opens with the 2017 uncrewed \u201clap of 8\u201d mission around the Moon.<\/p>\n
The crewed debut of Orion could occur any time between 2018 and 2021, depending on the outcome of funding projections and the ongoing roadmap evaluations, which are being worked on by a team lead by former Space Shuttle Program (SSP) manager John Shannon.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/B41.jpg\" "\\"B41\\"")
Both missions \u2013 as with all future flights \u2013 will see Orion launched on top of the Space Launch System (SLS). Given this vehicle won\u2019t be ready until the second half of this decade, managers made an early decision to utilize the Delta IV-Heavy launch vehicle for the EFT-1 mission.<\/p>\n
Under this scenario, Lockheed Martin \u2013 who also are the main contractor for Orion \u2013 will work a deal with NASA for purchasing one Delta IV-Heavy, which will then be updated as a deal between Lockheed Martin and the United Launch Alliance (ULA). Although Lockheed Martin and Boeing make up the ULA, the joint company is the body responsible for the Delta IV-H.<\/p>\n
The contracting element should be a relatively easy part of what is now an approved mission, due to the long-term relationship NASA, Lockheed Martin and ULA have enjoyed.<\/p>\n
The future mission also confirms Orion\u2019s transition back from the depression of Constellation\u2019s cancellation. It was only just last year when the demise of the Constellation Program led to only a promise of job cuts and program cancellations.<\/p>\n
Space Shuttle (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/p>\n \u201cCx (Constellation) funding is being pulled back, that was going to JSC (Johnson Space Center) engineering, and being sent to Denver to support LM similar facilities\/services,\u201d noted a NASA memo at the time.<\/p>\n \u201cGiven the revised interpretation of how to account for termination liability, LM and its subs will be moving 600 people off the contract. Also LM has halted several key procurements.\u201d<\/p>\n However, since the unpopular FY2011 budget proposal was reversed by the approval of the 2010 Authorization Act, Orion found itself back in NASA\u2019s future plans, with October, 2010 information first revealing Orion\u2019s opening trip into space via Flight Test.<\/p>\n By early 2011, a Joint Test and Mission Operations Team \u2013 consisting of NASA MOD (Mission Operations Directorate) and Lockheed Martin personnel \u2013 was approved, supporting the development phase of the mission, through the real-time test flight support operation and post test flight vehicle processing.<\/p>\n \u201cThe team approach will be utilized for all aspects of the test flight including subsystem and integrated testing as well as the flight execution,\u201d added Mr Geyer after the decision was made. \u201cThe team approach will also be utilized for the development of all products required for support of the mission (e.g. test scripts, test procedures, LCCs (Launch Commit Criteria), Flight Rules, timelines, etc.).\u201d<\/p>\n With several Orions in various stages of testing and manufacture across the States \u2013 such as the vibration testing at Lockheed Martin\u2019s Denver facilities and the water drop tests at NASA\u2019s Langley Flight Research Center (LaRC) \u2013 it was the welding of two panels at the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in New Orleans which would prove to the a major milestone for the new vehicle.<\/p>\n As Orion Program Manager Mr Geyer, at NASA\u2019s Johnson Space Center, Houston, described it, \u201cthe Orion team has maintained a steady focus on progress, and we now are beginning to build hardware for spaceflight.\u201d<\/p>\n It was shortly after this time when further details of the make-up of the vehicle\u2019s test objectives were revealed, with this Orion tasked with avionics tests through to heat shield and parachute performance \u2013 validating many high risk systems for the Orion spacecraft.<\/p>\n With work pressing through to the completion of the Orion cone section welds at MAF, further refinements to the mission noted the launch date was more likely to be set in late 2013.<\/p>\n No official launch date has been finalized at this stage, and it is unlikely to be set until after the contracting for the use of the Delta IV-H has been completed.<\/p>\n EDIT: However, NASA since confirmed the news, citing early 2014 as the launch date.<\/p>\n (Images: Via L2 content and NASA. This article was collated from L2\u2019s new Orion and Future Spacecraft specific L2 section, which includes, presentations, videos, graphics and internal updates on Orion and other future spacecraft.<\/p>\n (L2 is \u2013 as it has been for the past several years \u2013 providing full exclusive future vehicle coverage, available no where else on the internet. To join L2, click here: http:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/l2\/)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As managers work on finalizing the exploration roadmap for their new flagship vehicles, one of the first pieces in the puzzle \u2013 the debut of the Orion crew vehicle in space \u2013 has been given final approval by NASA. The Exploration Test Flight (EFT-1) will see Orion launched by a Della IV-Heavy from Cape Canaveral […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[9158,640],"class_list":["post-40286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-oft-1","tag-orion"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40286"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40286"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40286\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}See Also<\/h4>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/A54.jpg\" "\\"A54\\"")
By August of this year, it was confirmed the mission would be a \u201cmulti-hour\u201d test flight of a \u201chuman capable\u201d Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV \u2013 Orion), with a preliminary launch date of July, 2013. It was also decided that Orion would be riding on the Delta IV-H Upper Stage \u2013 one without Solar Panels, instead running off its own internal batteries. (Image left: Actual scenario would be without crew access gantry and maybe the LAS)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/A35.jpg\" "\\"A35\\"")
These first welds \u2013 marking the start of construction efforts on the EFT-1 Orion \u2013 were completed in September, using an innovative new friction stir welding process, developed especially for Orion construction.<\/p>\n