READ THE FULL ARTICLE @https://www.universetoday.com/143528/lockheed-wins-the-contract-to-build-six-more-orion-capsules/
When NASA sends astronauts back to the Moon and to Mars, the Orion Multipurpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) will be what takes them there. To build these next-generation spacecraft, NASA contracted aerospace manufacturer Lockheed Martin. Combined with the massive Space Launch System (SLS), the Orion spacecraft will allow for long-duration missions beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO) for the first time in over 50 years.
On Monday, Sept. 23rd, NASA and Lockheed Martin announced that they had finalized a contract for the production and operations of six missions using the Orion spacecraft, with the possibility of up to twelve being manufactured in total. This fulfills the requirements for NASA’s Project Artemis and opens the possibility for further missions to destinations like Mars and other locations in deep-space.
The Orion concept was unveiled on January 14th, 2004, shortly after the accident with the Space Shuttle Columbia. At the time, the Orion was known as the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV). It was intended to replace the aging Space Shuttle fleet and serve as a successor to the Apollo Command and Service Module (CSM) that took astronauts to the Moon between 1969 and 1972.
At present, NASA plans to use the Orion capsule to send the first woman and the next man to the Moon by 2024 (Artemis III). With the contract finalized for the delivery of the next six vehicles, this vision is one step closer to becoming a reality. Rick Ambrose, the executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Space, spoke glowingly about the contract and the partnership it represents in a recent company press release:
“This contract clearly shows NASA’s commitment not only to Orion, but also to Artemis and its bold goal of sending humans to the Moon in the next five years. We are equally committed to Orion and Artemis and producing these vehicles with a focus on cost, schedule and mission success.”
The contract NASA signed with Lockheed – the Orion Production and Operations Contract (OPOC) – is an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract specifying the delivery of 6 to 12 Orion spacecraft through to Sept. 30th, 2030. Initially, NASA ordered three Orion spacecraft to conduct Artemis missions III through V – crewed missions to the lunar surface occurring between 2024 and 2026 – for $2.7 billion.
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Further cost-reduction measures include advanced manufacturing technologies, material and component bulk buys, an accelerated mission cadence, and the fact that the Orion crew modules and systems are reusable. As Mike Hawes, Orion program manager for Lockheed Martin Space, attested:
“We have learned a lot about how to design and manufacture a better Orion – such as designing for reusability, using augmented reality and additive manufacturing – and we’re applying this to this next series of vehicles. Driving down cost and manufacturing them more efficiently and faster will be key to making the Artemis program a success. One must also appreciate how unique Orion is. It’s a spaceship like none other. We’ve designed it to do things no other spacecraft can do, go to places no astronaut has been and take us into a new era of human deep space exploration.”
When NASA sends astronauts back to the Moon and to Mars, the Orion Multipurpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) will be what takes them there. To build these next-generation spacecraft, NASA contracted aerospace manufacturer Lockheed Martin. Combined with the massive Space Launch System (SLS), the Orion spacecraft will allow for long-duration missions beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO) for the first time in over 50 years.
On Monday, Sept. 23rd, NASA and Lockheed Martin announced that they had finalized a contract for the production and operations of six missions using the Orion spacecraft, with the possibility of up to twelve being manufactured in total. This fulfills the requirements for NASA’s Project Artemis and opens the possibility for further missions to destinations like Mars and other locations in deep-space.
The Orion concept was unveiled on January 14th, 2004, shortly after the accident with the Space Shuttle Columbia. At the time, the Orion was known as the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV). It was intended to replace the aging Space Shuttle fleet and serve as a successor to the Apollo Command and Service Module (CSM) that took astronauts to the Moon between 1969 and 1972.
At present, NASA plans to use the Orion capsule to send the first woman and the next man to the Moon by 2024 (Artemis III). With the contract finalized for the delivery of the next six vehicles, this vision is one step closer to becoming a reality. Rick Ambrose, the executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Space, spoke glowingly about the contract and the partnership it represents in a recent company press release:
“This contract clearly shows NASA’s commitment not only to Orion, but also to Artemis and its bold goal of sending humans to the Moon in the next five years. We are equally committed to Orion and Artemis and producing these vehicles with a focus on cost, schedule and mission success.”
The contract NASA signed with Lockheed – the Orion Production and Operations Contract (OPOC) – is an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract specifying the delivery of 6 to 12 Orion spacecraft through to Sept. 30th, 2030. Initially, NASA ordered three Orion spacecraft to conduct Artemis missions III through V – crewed missions to the lunar surface occurring between 2024 and 2026 – for $2.7 billion.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Further cost-reduction measures include advanced manufacturing technologies, material and component bulk buys, an accelerated mission cadence, and the fact that the Orion crew modules and systems are reusable. As Mike Hawes, Orion program manager for Lockheed Martin Space, attested:
“We have learned a lot about how to design and manufacture a better Orion – such as designing for reusability, using augmented reality and additive manufacturing – and we’re applying this to this next series of vehicles. Driving down cost and manufacturing them more efficiently and faster will be key to making the Artemis program a success. One must also appreciate how unique Orion is. It’s a spaceship like none other. We’ve designed it to do things no other spacecraft can do, go to places no astronaut has been and take us into a new era of human deep space exploration.”
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