Search Results for: Orion
Orion ESM begins hot fire testing at White Sands
The Orion European Service Module (ESM) Propulsion Qualification Module (PQM) is in the opening phases of testing – including hot firings – at the White Sands Test Facility…
Orion STA undergoing pre-mission testing in Denver
With all the structural test articles (STA) of the Orion spacecraft at prime contractor Lockheed Martin’s Space Systems facility in the Denver area, work is underway to qualify…
Orion deep in processing for EM-1, planning for following missions
As US Vice President Mike Pence visited the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), one of the welcoming party, the Orion crew module, is fast taking shape ahead of its…
NASA creates working group to get Orion ESM back on schedule
NASA is continuing to work towards the historic maiden launch of the Space Launch System (SLS), with the rocket still on schedule to make a 2018 debut. However, the…
Orion’s heat shield arrives at Kennedy for EM-1 mission preparations
Lockheed Martin has delivered the Orion crew vehicle’s heat shield for the upcoming EM-1 test flight to the Kennedy Space Center from its manufacturing facility in Denver, Colorado….
Orbital ATK unveils cislunar habitat plan, potential missions for SLS and Orion
Orbital ATK has unveiled preliminary plans to place a four-person habitat in cislunar space by 2020. The announcement during testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on…
ASAP concerned NASA is taking risks to meet Orion schedule
NASA’s key advisory body has warned the agency that schedule pressure, in combination with cost pressure, is causing compromises that carry additional risk. Focusing on the Orion spacecraft,…
EM-1 Orion pressure vessel arrives at KSC
One of the major milestones for Exploration Mission -1 (EM-1) was completed on Monday with the arrival of Orion’s Pressure Vessel at the launch site. The capsule hardware…
NASA to begin testing Orion’s European Service Module
NASA is nearly ready to begin testing of a core component of the Orion spacecraft. A structural test version of the European Service Module has arrived in the…
Orion passes KDP-C with cautious 2023 crew debut
NASA’s Orion spacecraft has passed a critical milestone via the Key Decision Point -C (KDP-C) process, allowing the Agency’s commitment to the program’s technical, cost, and schedule baseline….
EM-1 Orion begins assembly as CDR process continues
The Exploration Mission -1 (EM-1) Orion is now being welded together at the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in New Orleans ahead of its 2018 flight with the maiden…
Orion parachute test evaluates failed chute scenarios
The Orion Program has successfully conducted another parachute drop test over the U.S. Army’s Yuma Proving Ground in the Arizona desert, testing failure scenarios with the Drogue and Main…
ASAP evaluates status on SLS and Orion red risks
NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) is continuing to make relatively good progress during its development path, according to the Agency’s key Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP). The latest status…
Orbital ATK agree deal for Orion LAS through to second SLS mission
Orbital ATK has signed a deal worth nearly $100m dollars to provide Orion’s Launch Abort System (LAS) through to the second mission for the Space Launch System (SLS)….
Plum Brook prepped for EM-1 Orion Service Module testing
Testing of Orion’s Service Module will be conducted at NASA Glenn’s Plum Brook Station this year in preparation for Exploration Mission -1 (EM-1). The Service Module is being…
EFT-1 Orion inspections provide vital MMOD information
A forensic level investigation into the condition of the Thermal Protection System (TPS) on the Exploration Flight Test -1 (EFT-1) Orion has evaluated the level of MicroMeteoroid and…
EM-1 Orion crew module set for first weld milestone in May
The historic “first weld” of the Exploration Mission -1 (EM-1) Orion is set to take place on May 1 at the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in New Orleans….
EFT-1 Orion set for Christmas return to Florida
Following the 20,000+ mph return of the Exploration Flight Test -1 (EFT-1) Orion last week, the spacecraft is enjoying a more leisurely series of transits. After completing the ride…
EFT-1 Orion completes historic mission
For the first time since 1981 NASA test flew a new vehicle designed to carry astronauts into space. The unmanned Exploration Flight Test 1 mission, the maiden flight…
Orion’s crewed asteroid mission unlikely to occur prior to 2024
The proposed mission to send two astronauts to a captured asteroid near the Moon won’t occur until the middle of the next decade, according to an overview provided to NASA’s Aerospace Safety…
