Back Exploration Flight Test 1 Azerbaijani Exploration Flight Test 1 Czech Exploration Flight Test 1 German Exploration Flight Test-1 Spanish EFT-1 Finnish Exploration Flight Test 1 French Exploration Flight Test 1 HE Exploration Flight Test 1 Hungarian Exploration Flight Test-1 ID Exploration Flight Test 1 Italian
 Launch of EFT-1 on December 5, 2014 | |
| Names | Orion Flight Test-1 (OFT-1) |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Uncrewed test flight |
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 2014-077A |
| SATCAT no. | 40329 |
| Mission duration | 4 hours, 24 minutes |
| Orbits completed | 2 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Orion CM-001 |
| Spacecraft type | Orion MPCV |
| Manufacturer | Lockheed Martin |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | December 5, 2014, 12:05 UTC (07:05 EST)[1][2] |
| Rocket | Delta IV Heavy |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral SLC-37B |
| Contractor | United Launch Alliance |
| End of mission | |
| Recovered by | USS Anchorage |
| Landing date | December 5, 2014, 16:29 UTC |
| Landing site | Pacific Ocean, 640 miles (1,030 km) SSE of San Diego 23°37′N 114°28′W / 23.61°N 114.46°W |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Apogee altitude | 5,800 kilometres (3,604 mi) |
| |
Exploration Flight Test-1 or EFT-1 (previously known as Orion Flight Test 1 or OFT-1) was the first test flight of the crew module portion of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle. Without a crew, it was launched on December 5, 2014, at 12:05 UTC (7:05 am EST), by a Delta IV Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex 37B at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.[3]
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 8.9 kilometers per second (20,000 mph).[4] This mission design corresponds to the Apollo 2/3 missions of 1966, which validated the Apollo flight control system and heat shield at re-entry conditions planned for the return from lunar missions.
NASA heavily promoted the mission, collaborating with Sesame Street and its characters to educate children about the flight test and the Orion spacecraft.[5]
- ^ Rhian, Jason (March 14, 2014). "NASA's EFT-1 Mission Slips to December". SpaceFlight Insider. Archived from the original on May 13, 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
- ^ Siceloff, Steven (December 5, 2014). "LIFTOFF! Orion Begins New Era in Space Exploration!". Orion. NASA. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
- ^ Foust, Jeff (December 5, 2014). "Delta 4 Heavy Launches Orion on Second Attempt". SpaceNews. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
- ^ Bergin, Chris (November 14, 2011). "EFT-1 Orion Receives Hatch Door—Denver Orion Ready for Modal Testing". NASASpaceflight.com. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
- ^ NASA (November 24, 2014). "Sesame Street Characters 'On Board' as NASA Counts Down to Orion's Test Flight". NASA.gov. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
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