Exploration Flight Test-1

EFT-1 tested several systems of the crew module portion of the Orion spacecraft, including separation events, avionics, heat shield performance, parachutes, and recovery operations. The uncrewed test flight served as a precursor to Orion’s first mission aboard the Space Launch System (SLS) on Artemis I. Because the European Service Module was not yet available, Orion flew with a structural representation. It also carried only a partial launch abort system, limited to the motor used to jettison the system at the end of launch, along with an Orion-to-stage adapter designed for future use with the SLS.^[5]

For the mission, Orion remained attached to the dummy service module, which itself was connected to the Delta IV Heavy’s upper stage. This stage was nearly identical to the Interim Cryogenic Upper Stage planned for the Block 1 version of the SLS. Unlike future flights, Orion relied on internal batteries for power rather than photovoltaic arrays.^[6]

Data returned from EFT-1 informed Orion’s design and were incorporated into its critical design review (CDR) in April 2015.^[7] These results helped pave the way for the Artemis I mission, which launched on November 16, 2022,^[8] more than seven years after EFT-1.

Orion CM-001 used on the EFT-1 mission was built by Lockheed Martin.^[9] On June 22, 2012, the final welds of the EFT-1 Orion were completed at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana.^[9] It was then transported to Kennedy Space Center's Operations and Checkout Building, where the remainder of the spacecraft was completed.^[10] The Delta IV rocket was put in a vertical position on October 1, 2014, and Orion was mated with the vehicle on November 11.^[11][12][13]

The four-and-a-half-hour flight took the Orion spacecraft on two orbits of Earth. Peak apogee was approximately 5,800 kilometres (3,600 mi). The distance allowed the spacecraft to reach reentry speeds of up to 8.9 km/s (20,000 mph), which exposed the heat shield to temperatures up to around 2,200 °C (4,000 °F).^[4][5]

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.^[15]

NASA heavily promoted the mission, collaborating with Sesame Street and its characters to educate children about the flight test and the Orion spacecraft.^[16]

The Orion capsule used for EFT-1 is now on display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, in the "NASA Now" exhibit.^[17]

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  First weld on the EFT-1 Orion structure, September 2011
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  Orion structure after final weld, June 2012, at the Michoud Assembly Facility
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  Orion's Service Module prior to encapsulation, December 2013, in the Operations and Checkout Building (O&C)
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  EFT-1 Orion Weight and Center of Gravity Test, June 2014
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  EFT-1 Orion back shell tile installation, September 2014
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  Completed EFT-1 Orion, September 2014
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  EFT-1 Orion in fairing and with LES, October 2014
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  EFT-1 Orion on its Delta IV Heavy
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  EFT-1 Orion on its Delta IV Heavy
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  Earth seen from the EFT-1 Orion spacecraft
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  The EFT-1 Orion before splashdown, 5 December 2014
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  Recovery of the EFT-1 Orion by the USS Anchorage, 5 December 2014
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  Recovery of Orion capsule
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  Recovery of Orion capsule