First Orion test flight slips to December
Posted: Sat, Mar 15, 2014, 9:45 AM ET (1345 GMT)
The first launch of NASA's Orion spacecraft has been delayed from September to December because of issues with the launch manifest, NASA announced late Friday. The Exploration Flight Test 1 (EFT-1) mission will launch an uncrewed Orion atop a Delta 4 Heavy rocket into an elliptical orbit to test spacecraft systems, including a high-speed reentry. NASA announced late Friday that while the spacecraft will be ready to support a launch in September or October, they are now targeting a launch in early December so that United Launch Alliance (ULA), which constructs Atlas and Delta rockets, can "support allowing more opportunities for launches this year." Reports speculate that the delay will make room for ULA to launch a pair of previously-classified space surveillance satellites prior to the Orion test.
The first launch of NASA's Orion spacecraft has been delayed from September to December because of issues with the launch manifest, NASA announced late Friday. The Exploration Flight Test 1 (EFT-1) mission will launch an uncrewed Orion atop a Delta 4 Heavy rocket into an elliptical orbit to test spacecraft systems, including a high-speed reentry. NASA announced late Friday that while the spacecraft will be ready to support a launch in September or October, they are now targeting a launch in early December so that United Launch Alliance (ULA), which constructs Atlas and Delta rockets, can "support allowing more opportunities for launches this year." Reports speculate that the delay will make room for ULA to launch a pair of previously-classified space surveillance satellites prior to the Orion test.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
Boeing says Starliner pad abort tets a success despite parachute anomaly
Posted: Sun, Nov 10 8:01 AM ET (1301 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Monday, November 11
'Snoopy in Space' launches Peanuts gang on NASA adventures
collectSPACE — 6:01 am ET (1101 GMT) Midland finding its place in the space industry
KWES-TV Midland, TX — 6:00 am ET (1100 GMT) NASA to send Israeli solar-power generator to International Space Station
Jerusalem Post — 5:57 am ET (1057 GMT) NASA’s 2024 Moonshot Hinges On Transcending Politics, Says Neil DeGrasse Tyson
Forbes.com — 5:57 am ET (1057 GMT) How to watch Mercury travel across the face of the Sun on Monday
The Verge — 5:56 am ET (1056 GMT) |
