NASA will use modified Orion capsule to go into deep space

William Atkins
Wednesday, 25 May 2011 22:37

Science - Space

The U.S. space agency NASA announced Tuesday, May 24, 2011, that its next-generation space capsule, which will take astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit, will be based on the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle.

However, the name of the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) will be changed to the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV). As with Orion, the MPCV will be designed and built by Lockheed Martin for NASA.

Charles Bolden, the administrator at NASA, stated, "We are committed to human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit and look forward to developing the next generation of systems to take us there." [NASA: 'NASA Announces Key Decision For Next Deep Space Transportation System']

Bolden added, "The NASA Authorization Act lays out a clear path forward for us by handing off transportation to the International Space Station to our private sector partners, so we can focus on deep space exploration.'

And, 'As we aggressively continue our work on a heavy lift launch vehicle, we are moving forward with an existing contract to keep development of our new crew vehicle on track."

The nearly new MPCV will transport up to four astronauts for trips up to 21 days. It will be designed to land on water, specifically in the Pacific Ocean off the California coast.

However, its mission duration could be increased with the addition of extra service modules.

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