Exploration Flight Test 1

Exploration Flight Test-1 or EFT-1 (previously known as Orion Flight Test 1 or OFT-1) was a technology demonstration mission and the first flight test of the crew module portion of the Orion spacecraft. Without a crew, it was launched on 5 December 2014 at 12:05  UTC (7:05 am  EST, local time at the launch site) by a Delta IV Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex 37B at the 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 . This mission design corresponds to the Apollo 2/3 missions of 1966, which validated the Apollo flight control system and heat shield at re-entry conditions planned for the return from lunar missions.

Objectives

EFT-1 tested various systems of the crew module portion of the Orion spacecraft, including separation events, avionics, heat shielding, parachutes, and recovery operations prior to its flight aboard the Space Launch System rocket on the Artemis I mission. The Orion was not equipped with its companion European Service Module, using only a structural representation, and only had a partial launch abort system containing only the jettison motor. It was equipped with an Orion-to-stage adapter for testing.

The spacecraft remained attached to the dummy service module, which in turn remained attached to the Delta IV's upper stage (which is nearly identical to the Interim Cryogenic Upper Stage to be used on the Block 1 version of the Space Launch System rocket) until re-entry began and relied on internal batteries for power rather than photovoltaic arrays.

Data gathered from the test flight were analyzed by the critical design review (CDR) in April 2015. Artemis I launched on 16 November 2022, more than seven years after EFT-1.

Vehicle assembly

Orion CM-001 used on the EFT-1 mission was built by Lockheed Martin. On 22 June 2012, the final welds of the EFT-1 Orion were completed at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was then transported to Kennedy Space Center's Operations and Checkout Building, where the remainder of the spacecraft was completed. The Delta IV rocket was put in a vertical position on 1 October 2014, and Orion was mated with the vehicle on 11 November.

Flight

The four-and-a-half-hour flight took the Orion spacecraft on two orbits of Earth. Peak altitude was approximately . The high altitude allowed the spacecraft to reach reentry speeds of up to , which exposed the heat shield to temperatures up to around .

After splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, crews from the USS ''Anchorage'' recovered the EFT-1 Orion crew vehicle. Plans were later made to outfit the capsule for an ascent abort test in 2017.

Launch attempts

Public outreach

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

The Orion capsule used for EFT-1 is now on display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, in the "NASA Now" exhibit.

Gallery

File:EFT-1 Orion 2.jpg, First weld on the EFT-1 Orion structure, September 2011
File:Final wield of first space bound Orion.jpg, Orion structure after final weld, June 2012, at the Michoud Assembly Facility
File:EFT-1 Orion SM encapsulated.jpg, Orion's Service Module prior to encapsulation, December 2013, in the Operations and Checkout Building (O&C)
File:EFT-1 Orion Weight and Center of Gravity Test.jpg, EFT-1 Orion Weight and Center of Gravity Test, June 2014
File:EFT-1 Orion back shell tile installation.jpg, EFT-1 Orion back shell tile installation, September 2014
File:Orion's First Crew Module Complete.jpg, Completed EFT-1 Orion, September 2014
File:EFT-1 Orion in fairing and with mock-LAS.jpg, EFT-1 Orion in fairing and with LES, October 2014
File:EFT-1 Orion is ready for first flight.jpg, EFT-1 Orion on its Delta IV Heavy, November 2014
File:Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 crew module before splashdown 2014.JPG, The EFT-1 Orion before splashdown, 5 December 2014
File:EFT-1 Orion recovery.2.jpg, Recovery of the EFT-1 Orion by the USS ''Anchorage'', 5 December 2014
File:EFT-1 Orion recovery.3.jpg, Recovery of Orion capsule
File:EFT-1 Orion recovery.5.jpg, Recovery of Orion capsule

References

External links

Orion MPCV homepage (NASA)

EFT-1 Fact sheet (NASA)EFT-1 Press kit (NASA)Animation of the EFT-1 mission (NASA)Video of the launch of EFT-1 – 5 December 2014 (NASA)Video of the landing of the EFT-1 Orion – 5 December 2014 (NASA/U.S. Navy)

{{Orbital launches in 2014

2014 in the United States
Orion (spacecraft)
Spacecraft launched in 2014
Spacecraft which reentered in 2014
Articles containing video clips
Test spaceflights
Spacecraft launched by Delta IV rockets
Successful space missions