Orion and LASM Credit - NASA

NASA's Crew Excursion Vehicle for the 21st Century

On 31 August 2006 NASA selected Lockheed Martin as the prime contractor to build the Crew Exploration Vehicle, dubbed Orion. Orion's first mission would be to shuttle up to six crew members to and from the International Space Station. It also would serve as a lifeboat for the station crew while docked for up to 210 days with the station. Orion was also designed to transport four crew to lunar orbit and back to earth for NASA's later planned return to the moon. Developments of the spacecraft would also provide the re-entry vehicle for return from any eventual manned Mars missions.

By the date of the contract award NASA had slipped the first launch date by almost four years, to 'no later than 2014'. Any moon landing (which would require funding for development of the Ares V launch vehicle and LSSM lunar module) would not come until 2020 at the earliest.

Lockheed Martin beat out a Northrop Grumman/Boeing team at the conclusion of a two-phase selection process. More than any previous contract, the spacecraft would be designed, developed, and built under NASA direction and on NASA premises. Lockheed Martin was to perform the majority of the Orion vehicle engineering work at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, and complete final assembly of the vehicle at the Kennedy Space Center, Fla. All 10 NASA centers were provided work in terms of 'technical and engineering support' to the Orion project.

The cost-plus-award-fee incentive DDT&E contract was to run from September 8, 2006, through September 7, 2013. Estimated value at award was $3.9 billion. Follow-on delivery orders for production flight vehicles were expected to be issued as early as 8 September 2009. If all options were exercised, delivery orders would be issued through 2019 and had an additional total value of $3.5 billion. Additional 'sustaining engineering' work for Lockheed-Martin would be contracted in the form of task orders, issued concurrent with production delivery orders, with a total value of $750 million through 2019.

Development Cost $: 3,900.000 million. Cost Notes: Development cost. Crew Size: 6. Orbital Storage: 210 days. Length: 8.10 m (26.50 ft). Basic Diameter: 5.03 m (16.50 ft). Span: 17.00 m (55.00 ft). Habitable Volume: 10.23 m3. Mass: 21,500 kg (47,300 lb). RCS Coarse No x Thrust: 16 x 445 N. RCS Propellants: N2O4/MMH. Main Engine Thrust: 33.400 kN (7,509 lbf). Main Engine Propellants: N2O4/MMH. Main Engine Propellants: 9,750 kg (21,490 lb). Backup Main Engine Thrust: 33.400 kN (7,509 lbf). Spacecraft delta v: 1,855 m/s (6,085 ft/sec). Electrical System: 2 x Circular solar panels, 31 sq m total. Electric System: 9.15 average kW. Associated Launch Vehicle: Ares.

• Orion LAS.  Part of: Orion. Class: Manned. Type: Spacecraft Module.

  Orion launch abort system; consists of launch escape tower, adapter cone, and boost protective cover. Provides emergency crew escape during early boost phase of ascent to orbit. Engine layout follows Soviet Soyuz/TKS design practice as opposed to earlier US Mercury/Apollo designs.

  Configuration Summary:

  • Abort Motor
    • No. of Nozzles:4
    • Nozzle Cant Angle (to CL): 30º
    • Isp (sea level):250s
    • Thrust (Total in Vehicle Axis):506,408 lbs / 2253 kN
    • Burn Time:2.0s
    • T/W:15:1
  • Attitude Control Motor
    • No. of Nozzles:8
    • Nozzle Cant Angle (to CL):90º
    • Isp (vac):227s
    • Thrust (per Nozzle):2500 lbs / 11 kN
    • Burn Time:20s
  • Jettison Motor
    • No. of Nozzles:4
    • Nozzle Cant Angle (to CL): 35º
    • Isp (vac.):221s
    • Thrust (per Nozzle):9668 lbs / 43 kN
    • Burn Time:1.5 s

  Length: 11.60 m (38.00 ft). Basic Diameter: 0.40 m (1.31 ft). Mass: 6,176 kg (13,615 lb). RCS Coarse No x Thrust: 8 x 11 kN. RCS Propellants: Solid. RCS Isp: 227 sec. Main Engine Propellants: Solid. Main Engine Propellants: 2,480 kg (5,460 lb). Main Engine Isp: 250 sec. Backup Main Engine Thrust: 2,253.000 kN (506,494 lbf).

• Orion CM.  Part of: Orion. Class: Manned. Type: Spacecraft Module.

  Orion re-entry vehicle (crew module). A 25% scale-up of the Apollo capsule of the 1960's.

  Crew Size: 6. Length: 3.30 m (10.80 ft). Basic Diameter: 5.03 m (16.50 ft). Habitable Volume: 10.23 m3. Mass: 8,485 kg (18,706 lb). Environmental Control System: 128 kg (282 lb). Payload: 100 kg (220 lb). RCS Coarse No x Thrust: 24 x 445 N. RCS Propellants: Gox/GCH4. Expr24: 175. L/D Hypersonic: 0.34. Spacecraft delta v: 50 m/s (164 ft/sec). Electrical System: Batteries.

• Orion SM.  Part of: Orion. Class: Manned. Type: Spacecraft Module.

  Orion service module. Masses estimated based on delta-V released by NASA.

  Length: 4.78 m (15.68 ft). Basic Diameter: 5.03 m (16.50 ft). Span: 17.00 m (55.00 ft). Mass: 13,000 kg (28,000 lb). RCS Coarse No x Thrust: 16 x 445 N. RCS Propellants: N2O4/MMH. Main Engine Thrust: 33.400 kN (7,509 lbf). Main Engine Propellants: N2O4/MMH. Main Engine Propellants: 9,750 kg (21,490 lb). Backup Main Engine Thrust: 33.400 kN (7,509 lbf). Spacecraft delta v: 1,855 m/s (6,085 ft/sec). Electrical System: 2 x Circular solar panels, 31 sq m total. Electric System: 9.15 average kW.

• Orion SA.  Part of: Orion. Class: Manned. Type: Spacecraft Module.

  Orion spacecraft adapter. Transition section between Service Module and Ares booster.

  A simple aerospace structure that was made of: panel material: IM7/977-3 sandwich; longeron material: 7075 aluminum; ring frame material: 2024 aluminum; with a ML-440WSO white silicone thermal control coating. The design included 9 vent holes to equalize pressure during ascent; two access panels to allow work on the folded solar arrays and service module engine assembly; umbilical connections between the spacecraft and booster rocket at three; and six separation bolts connecting the adapter to the spacecraft. The panel was bolted to the forward 'field joint' of the Ares launch vehicle.

  Length: 3.31 m (10.85 ft). Basic Diameter: 5.03 m (16.50 ft). Maximum Diameter: 5.50 m (18.00 ft). Mass: 581 kg (1,280 lb).