Orion test marks 'milestone' for US space program: NASA

Yahoo – AFP, Kerry Sheridan, 5 Dec 2014

The United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket carrying NASA's first Orion deep
 space exploration craft takes off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on December 5,
2014 (AFP Photo/Joe Raedle)

Cape Canaveral (AFP) - The US space agency's Orion capsule made a flawless first test flight on Friday, in what NASA called a "significant milestone" in the years-long journey to Mars.

The unmanned spacecraft soared into space at 7:05 am (1205 GMT) atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket that rumbled and roared as it climbed into the pastel skies over the Florida coast at sunrise, leaving a plume of smoke in its wake.

"It was just a blast to see how well the rocket did," said Orion program manager Mark Geyer, after technical issues with the rocket and wind gusts delayed the first launch attempt Thursday.

"Being near a launch -- a rocket that big -- you can feel it."

The four-and-a-half hour flight was "picture-perfect" and "a significant milestone for America's space program," said NASA commentator Rob Navias.

It tested crucial systems like the heat shield and parachute splashdown. NASA engineers will carefully study the data it collected in the days and weeks to come to see how the capsule withstood the stress of space flight.

Peak height

The spacecraft made two loops around the Earth smoothly, first orbiting about as high as the International Space Station, which circles at an altitude of about 270 miles (430 kilometers).

Halfway through the flight, a second stage engine burn went ahead as planned, to propel the spacecraft higher than any vessel meant to carry people since the Apollo 17 moon mission in 1972.

About three hours into the flight, at 10:11 am (1511 GMT), the spacecraft reached its peak height of 3,604 miles above the Earth.

Four hours 24 minutes after launch, the spacecraft floated back to Earth, aided by a trio of parachutes, before plunging into the waters 600 miles to the west of Baja California, to be retrieved by the US Navy.

An analysis of sophisticated sensors on the capsule should let NASA know how the heat shield performed and if the temperature inside remained survivable for a potential crew.

The spacecraft's exterior heated to 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,200 Celsius) during its re-entry to Earth's atmosphere at a velocity of 20,000 miles per hour.

Potential future missions for Orion, which can fit four people at a time, include a trip to lasso an asteroid and a journey to Mars by the 2030s.

"I think it's a big day for the world, for people who know and love space," said NASA administrator Charles Bolden.

NASA has already spent $9.1 billion on Orion and the powerful rocket meant to propel it with crew on board, the Space Launch System (SLS).

Another unmanned test flight is slated for 2018. The first Orion test flight with a crew on board is scheduled for 2021, when total costs are projected to reach $19 to $22 billion.

About $370 million dollars in equipment was at stake in Friday's launch.

NASA says the Orion launch has reinvigorated a manned exploration program that has been stagnant for more than three years since the last space shuttle carried a crew of astronauts to the International Space Station.

The 30-year shuttle program ended in 2011, leaving the United States no option but to pay Russia to carry astronauts on its Soyuz capsules at a cost of $71 million per seat.