![]() The Orion 's crew module is larger than Apollo's and can support more crew members for short or long-duration missions. The Orion spacecraft includes both crew and service modules, a spacecraft adapter and an emergency launch abort system. The spacecraft's life support, propulsion, thermal protection, and avionics systems can be upgraded as new technologies become available. During the quiescent period crew life support would be provided by another module, such as the proposed Lunar Gateway. It will be capable of supporting long-duration deep space missions with up to 21 days of active crew time plus 6 months' quiescent spacecraft life. Orion uses the same basic configuration as the Apollo command and service module (CSM) that first took astronauts to the Moon, but with an increased diameter, updated thermal protection system, and other more modern technologies. ![]() Crew module Interactive 3D models of Orion, with the spacecraft fully integrated on the left and in exploded view on the right The capsule shown in the photo is an early design version of Orion. Description Configuration of the Orion spacecraft. The first completed unit, CM-002, was launched on Novemon Artemis 1. As of 2022, three flight-worthy Orion spacecraft are under construction, with one completed and an additional one ordered, for use in NASA's Artemis program. Orion was primarily designed by Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Littleton, Colorado. A development version of Orion's CM was launched in 2014 during Exploration Flight Test-1, while at least four test articles were produced. The SLS became Orion's primary launch vehicle, and the service module was replaced with a design based on the European Space Agency's Automated Transfer Vehicle. Following the cancellation of the Constellation program in 2010, Orion was heavily redesigned for use in NASA's Journey to Mars initiative later named Moon to Mars. Orion was conceived in the early 2000s by Lockheed Martin as a proposal for the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) to be used in NASA's Constellation program and was selected by NASA in 2006. Orion is intended to launch atop a Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, with a tower launch escape system. A single AJ10 engine provides the spacecraft's primary propulsion, while eight R-4D-11 engines, and six pods of custom reaction control system engines developed by Airbus, provide the spacecraft's secondary propulsion. ![]() It is equipped with solar panels, an automated docking system, and glass cockpit interfaces modeled after those used in the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Capable of supporting a crew of four beyond low Earth orbit, Orion can last up to 21 days undocked and up to six months docked. The spacecraft consists of a Crew Module (CM) space capsule designed by Lockheed Martin and the European Service Module (ESM) manufactured by Airbus Defence and Space. Orion ( Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle or Orion MPCV) is a partially reusable crewed spacecraft used in NASA's Artemis program. ![]()
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