Lockheed Martin Unveils Orion Spacecraft and Simulation Centre

US-based technology firm Lockheed Martin has unveiled the first Orion crew module exploration spacecraft and a space operations simulation centre (SOSC).

These two projects are located at the company's Waterton facility near Denver, Colorado, US, demonstrating Nasa's progress towards human space flight, the Orion Project and the multipurpose crew vehicle.

The company said that the Orion crew module exploration spacecraft would conduct its first orbital flight test by early 2013 and provide initial operational flights by 2016 as required by the Nasa Authorization Act of 2010.

The spacecraft will undergo rigorous testing in Denver to confirm its ability to safely fly astronauts through all the harsh environments of deep space exploration missions.

The Orion spacecraft is a technically advanced vehicle capable of safely transporting humans to asteroids, Lagrange points and other deep space destinations.

The SOSC, built upon a 1,700ft-deep Colorado bedrock formation, will test and validate future human spaceflight programmes and currently supports integrated testing of Orion's relative navigation system, which includes sensor tests for Orion RelNav risk mitigation (STORRM) that will be completed before Orion's first orbital flight test in 2013.