Image Credit: Lockheed Martin
Work on the Orion MPCV, or Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, has reached a new milestone.
Last week at Lockheed Martin facilities near Denver, the Orion MPCV was crowned with a Launch Abort System. In that fully-stacked condition, the combined length of the coupled gear stands five stories tall.
Orion is being prepared for the next round of testing in an acoustic chamber. Each test will expose the Orion MPCV and its Launch Abort System to acoustic levels exceeding 150 decibels while instruments record the vehicle’s response.
Furthermore, the vehicles will undergo testing at sound pressure levels that emulate those experienced at launch and in the event an abort is needed to carry the crew to safety away from a potential problem on the launch pad or during ascent.
The Lockheed Martin-built Orion MPCV ground test article is the first flight like article which consists of two major components, the Crew Module and the Launch Abort System.
Once testing is completed in Denver, the spacecraft will be transported to the NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia where it will complete a series of landing tests.
These evaluations will provide critical data used to model the spacecraft’s capabilities to perform deep space exploration missions. Orion MPCV can support human treks back to the Moon, to an asteroid, as well as missions to Mars.
By Leonard David