Jacobs Engineering Group and NASA have concluded tests of a parachute system that would support re-entry activities of the Orion spacecraft. The team conducted the Capsule Parachute Assembly System‘s final qualification test at the U.S. Army‘s Yuma Proving Ground facility in Arizona, the company said Thursday. During the test, a C-17 aircraft dropped the Orion capsule from […] More

Technicians at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center have installed a Lockheed Martin-built heat shield technology at the bottom of a crew module designed for the Orion spacecraft. The installation team performed a fit check of the heat cover before securing it on the vehicle to ensure all of the bolt fittings were in their proper position, NASA […] More

Lockheed Martin plans to reduce the production cost of the Orion crew capsule for future missions through reuse of the vehicle structure and other components of the spacecraft, SpaceNews reported Friday. “We have the internal component reuse that will start even between [Exploration Mission] 1 and 2, but then when we get to reusing a […] More

Orbital ATK has tested a rocket motor technology at its Promontory, Utah, facility in preparation for a scheduled April 2019 test of a spacecraft system designed to keep astronauts safe if a problem occurs during ascent. NASA and Lockheed Martin intend to use an SR 118 motor for the Ascent Abort 2 Flight Test that will evaluate the Orion capsule’s launch […] More

Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewson told CNBC in an interview posted Wednesday that she believes the company will continue to be a part of every mission to Mars. Hewson mentioned the InSight lander and the Orion deep space exploration spacecraft as two of Lockheed’s projects with NASA that seek to support the company’s involvement in future missions to the […] More

NASA has reported that EnerSys‘ advanced systems business and SEAKR Engineering respectively manufacture lithium-ion batteries and space-qualified electronics for the Orion spacecraft. EnerSys and SEAKR are two of the 250 businesses that operate in Colorado and support the agency’s deep-space exploration programs, NASA said Tuesday. Lockheed Martin is building the Orion crew vehicle as the program’s prime contractor. EnerSys’ Longmont facility […] More

Orbital ATK has analyzed the results of a qualification test on the attitude control motor of the Orion spacecraft’s launch abort system. The company said Monday results from the test in Elkton, Maryland indicate that the ACM’s HT-11 ‘high thrust’ demonstration was fully successful and the motor can now enter the program’s qualification phase. ACM features a […] More

Orbital ATK has worked with NASA and Lockheed Martin to test-fire a motor technology for the Orion spacecraft’s launch abort system. The Qualification Motor-1 test was conducted at Orbital ATK’s facility in Promontory, Utah, and evaluated if the motor could activate within milliseconds and operate as designed under high temperatures, Orbital ATK said Thursday. Lockheed awarded Orbital ATK a $98 million subcontract […] More

Orbital ATK has tested an attitude control motor for the launch abort system of the Orion spacecraft built by Lockheed Martin to support NASA‘s manned space exploration goals. The test demonstrated the capacity of ATM technology to guide an LAS in the event of mission abort and address human-rated requirements, Orbital ATK said Monday. Orbital ATK built the Orion’s launch abort system motor […] More

Aerojet Rocketdyne has conducted hot-fire acceptance tests on eight auxiliary engines to be used on the inaugural flight of NASA‘s Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System next year. The company said Wednesday it oversees the development of auxiliary engines for the European Space Agency’s European Service Module that will provide air and water, temperature control, power and propulsion capacity for Orion crew […] More

NASA has conducted a series of tests with Orbital ATK, Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Aerojet Rocketdyne to evaluate the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System rocket that the agency plans to launch in 2018 as part of an unmanned space exploration mission. Lockheed’s engineering teams have completed proof pressure tests on the Orion crew […] More

Aerojet Rocketdyne has tested a third development jettison motor built to support the launch abort system of NASA‘s Orion spacecraft at the company’s Rancho Cordova, California facility. The company said Wednesday its jettison motor will be integrated alongside an attitude control and abort motor on the spacecraft’s next test flight called Exploration Mission-1 which covers travel of about 40,000 miles beyond the moon and return to […] More