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 December 5, 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 AS-201 and AS-202 missions of 1966, which validated the flight control system and heat shield of the Apollo command and service module at re-entry conditions planned for the return from lunar missions.
Objectives
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.
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.
Data returned from EFT-1 informed Orion's design and were incorporated into its critical design review (CDR) in April 2015. These results helped pave the way for the Artemis I mission, which launched on November 16, 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 June 22, 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 October 1, 2014, and Orion was mated with the vehicle on November 11."NASA's Orion Spacecraft, Rocket Move Closer to First Flight" NASA. Retrieved: October 5, 2014."Orion Spacecraft Complete" NASA. Retrieved: October 30, 2014."Orion Arrives at Launch Pad" NASA. Retrieved: November 12, 2014.
Flight
The four-and-a-half-hour flight took the Orion spacecraft on two orbits of Earth. Peak apogee was approximately . The distance allowed the spacecraft to reach reentry speeds of up to , which exposed the heat shield to temperatures up to around . TimeEventL6:00:00Orion powered on, mobile service tower retracts, fueling of Delta IV Heavy beginsL+0:00:00Launch (12:05 UTC, 7:05 am EST)0:01:23Max q0:01:23Vehicle is supersonic0:03:56Booster separation0:05:30First stage MECO (main engine cut-off)0:05:33First stage separation0:05:49Second stage ignition No. 10:06:15Service module fairing jettison0:06:20Launch Abort System jettison0:17:39SECO No. 1 (second engine cut-off), Orion begins first orbit1:55:26Orion completes first orbit, second stage ignition No. 22:00:09SECO No. 22:05:00Enter first high radiation period2:20:00Leave first high radiation period2:40:00Reaction control system (RCS) activation3:05:00Reach peak apogee: 3:23:41Orion separates from combined service module/second stage, second stage performs disposal burn3:57:00Orion positions for reentry4:13:41Entry interface4:20:22Forward bay cover jettisons, parachute deployment begins (two drogues, three mains)4:24:46Splashdown and recovery by the USS Anchorage crew
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
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)