Orion Test Capsule Readies for 2014 Launch

Historic NASA facility sets sights on deep space

Test capsule to be assembled in same site that readied moon-bound spaceships 40 years ago

collectSpace.com / Robert Z. Pearlman

Ground test version of the Orion multi-purpose crew vehicle (MPCV) inside the Operations and Checkout building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The capsule is being used to ready the facility for the arrival of the first MPCV that will fly into space.

By Robert Z. Pearlman

updated 2 hours 39 minutes ago

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.  — A test spacecraft that in two years will fly deeper into space than any vehicle designed for astronauts since NASA's Apollo moon program is set to arrive here next month, where it will be assembled in the same facility that readied the moon-bound spaceships 40 years ago.

Parts for the first space-bound Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) will arrive in June for final assembly in the Operations and Checkout (O&C) building here at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, under contract to NASA, has overseen a $55 million renovation to the historic facility, which is now ready to begin processing the next generation capsule for its planned 2014 test launch.

MORE: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47480539/ns/technology_and_science-space/#.T7cBTPmitk0

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