Orion is ready for its tryst with space

The Lockheed Martin built Orion spacecraft is ready for its tryst with space. It was rolled to its launch pad, a journey of 22 miles which it took 6 hours to complete. The Orion is one step closer to its first test flight on December 4^th 2014.

Michael Hawes, Lockheed Martin Orion program manager said, “This spacecraft is going to push the boundaries of scientific discovery and human achievement. One day, not too far in the future, an astronaut will leave the first footprints in the red dust of Mars, and we’ll look back and say that journey started here.”

The 50000 pound spacecraft will be integrated with United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV Heavy rocket, which Lockheed Martin had contracted to lift the spacecraft to space. The coming weeks will see hectic activity when the rocket and the spacecraft will be integrated and engineers will be testing the interfaces between the two for its Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1).