Exploration Flight Test 1

Exploration Flight Test 1

Launch of EFT-1 on December 5, 2014
Mission type Uncrewed test flight
Operator NASA
COSPAR ID 2014-077A
SATCAT № 40329
Mission duration 4 hours, 24 minutes
Orbits completed 2
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type Orion MPCV
Manufacturer Lockheed Martin
Start of mission
Launch date December 5, 2014, 12:05 (2014-12-05UTC12:05Z) UTC (07:05 EST)[1][2]
Rocket Delta IV Heavy
Launch site Cape Canaveral SLC-37B
Contractor United Launch Alliance
End of mission
Recovered by USS Anchorage
Landing date December 5, 2014, 16:29 (2014-12-05UTC16:30Z) UTC
Landing site Pacific Ocean,
640 miles (1,030 km) SSE of San Diego
23°37′N 114°28′W / 23.61°N 114.46°W / 23.61; -114.46 (EFT-1 splashdown)
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric
Apogee 5,800 kilometres (3,604 mi)

Beyond Low Earth Orbit Program
EM-1 →

Exploration Flight Test 1 or EFT-1 (previously known as Orion Flight Test 1 or OFT-1) was the first test flight of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle. Without a crew, it was launched on December 5, 2014, at 12:05 UTC (7:05 am EST), by a Delta IV Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex 37B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

The mission was a four-hour, two-orbit test of the Orion crew module featuring a high apogee on the second orbit and concluding with a high-energy reentry at around 20,000 miles per hour (32,000 km/h; 8,900 m/s).[3] This mission design corresponds to the Apollo 4 mission of 1967, which validated the Apollo flight control system and heat shield at re-entry conditions planned for the return from lunar missions.

NASA heavily promoted the mission, collaborating with Sesame Street and its characters to educate children about the flight test and the Orion spacecraft.[4]

Objectives

The flight was intended to test various Orion systems, including separation events, avionics, heat shielding, parachutes, and recovery operations prior to its debut launch aboard the Space Launch System, currently scheduled for no later than November 2018.[5][6]

Vehicle assembly

EFT-1 Orion was built by Lockheed Martin.[7] On June 22, 2012, the final welds of the EFT-1 Orion were completed at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana.[7] It was then transported to Kennedy Space Center's Operations and Checkout Building, where the remainder of the spacecraft was completed.[8] The Delta IV rocket was put in a vertical position on October 1, 2014, and Orion was mated with the vehicle on November 11.[9][10][11]

Flight

Mission diagram
Rendering of Orion capsule and Delta IV upper-stage during EFT-1
Earth seen from the EFT-1 Orion spacecraft

The four and a half hour flight took the Orion spacecraft on two orbits of Earth. Peak altitude was approximately 5,800 kilometres (3,600 mi). The high altitude allowed the spacecraft to reach reentry speeds of up to 20,000 mph (32,000 km/h; 8,900 m/s), which exposed the heat shield to temperatures up to around 4,000 °F (2,200 °C).[3][6]

During the flight, the crew module, a structural representation of the service module, a partial launch abort system containing only the jettison motor, and Orion-to-stage adapter would be evaluated.[6] The spacecraft remained attached to the Delta IV's upper stage until reentry began and relied on internal batteries for power rather than photovoltaic arrays, which were not contained in the structural representation.[12] Data gathered from the test flight will be analyzed by the Critical Design Review (CDR) in April 2015.[13]

Time Event
L-6:00:00Orion powered on, mobile service tower retracts. Fueling of Delta IV Heavy begins
0:00:00Launch window opens (7:05 a.m. EST, 12:05 UTC). EFT-1 launches.
0:01:23Max Q
0:01:23Reach Mach 1
0:03:56Booster separation
0:05:30First Stage MECO (Main Engine Cut Off)
0:05:33First Stage separation
0:05:49Second Stage ignition #1
0:06:15Structural representation of service module fairing jettison
0:06:20Launch Abort System jettison
0:17:39SECO #1 (Second Engine Cut Off), Orion begins first orbit
1:55:26Orion completes first orbit, Second stage ignition #2
2:00:09SECO #2 (Second Engine Cut Off)
2:05:00Enter first high radiation period
2:20:00Leave first high radiation period
2:40:00Reaction control system (RCS) activation
3:05:00Reach peak altitude (5,800 kilometers/3,600 miles)
3:23:41Orion separates from service module and second stage, second stage performs disposal burn
3:57:00Orion positions for reentry
4:13:41Entry interface
4:20:22Forward bay cover jettisons, parachute deployment begins (two drogues, three mains)
4:24:46Splashdown

After splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, crews recovered the EFT-1 Orion crew vehicle and will outfit the capsule for an ascent abort test in 2017.[14]

Launch attempts

Attempt Planned Result Turnaround Reason Decision point Weather go (%) Notes
1 4 Dec 2014, 7:05:00 am Hold --- Fouled Range A boat entered the launch range.
2 4 Dec 2014, 7:17:00 am Hold 0 days, 0 hours, 12 minutes Weather Gust wind excess speed limit. (21 knots)
3 4 Dec 2014, 7:55:00 am Hold 0 days, 0 hours, 38 minutes Weather Gust wind excess speed limit. (21 knots)
4 4 Dec 2014, 8:26:00 am Hold 0 days, 0 hours, 31 minutes Technical  (T-00:03:09) A fuel fill and drain valve did not close.
5 4 Dec 2014, 9:44:00 am Scrubbed 0 days, 1 hour, 18 minutes Technical 24-hour recycle.
6 5 Dec 2014, 7:05:00 am Success 0 days, 21 hours, 21 minutes

References

  1. ↑ Rhian, Jason (14 March 2014). "NASA's EFT-1 Mission Slips to December". SpaceFlight Insider. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
  2. ↑ Siceloff, Steven (5 December 2014). "LIFTOFF! Orion Begins New Era in Space Exploration!". Orion. NASA. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
  3. 1 2 Bergin, Chris (14 November 2011). "EFT-1 Orion Receives Hatch Door—Denver Orion Ready for Modal Testing". NASASpaceflight.com. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  4. ↑ NASA (24 November 2014). "Sesame Street Characters 'On Board' as NASA Counts Down to Orion's Test Flight". NASA.gov. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  5. ↑ Chris Bergin (25 October 2011). "SLS Flexibility: Exploration roadmap focus taking center stage". NASASpaceflight.com. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  6. 1 2 3 "Orion First Flight Test – NASA Facts" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
  7. 1 2 Clark, Stephen (26 June 2012). "Space-bound Orion capsule to arrive in Florida next week". SpaceFlightNow. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  8. ↑ "NASA Unveils Orion During Ceremony". NASA. 2 July 2012. Retrieved 3 July 2012.
  9. ↑ "NASA’s Orion Spacecraft, Rocket Move Closer to First Flight" NASA. Retrieved: 5 October 2014.
  10. ↑ "Orion Spacecraft Complete" NASA. Retrieved: 30 October 2014.
  11. ↑ "Orion Arrives at Launch Pad" NASA. Retrieved: 12 November 2014.
  12. ↑ "OFT-1: NASA gearing up for Orion's 2013 debut via Delta IV Heavy". 8 August 2011. Archived from the original on 12 March 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  13. ↑ "EFT-1 September, 2014 launch date "paced" by the Delta IV-H". nasaspaceflight.com.
  14. ↑ Stephen Clark (23 November 2011). "Cracks discovered in Orion capsule's pressure shell". Spaceflightnow.com. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
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