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Orion and Earth
NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B.
Artemis I Flight Day 13: Orion, Earth, and Moon

About Orion

Orion will serve as the exploration vehicle that will carry the crew to space, provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel, and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orion will launch on NASA’s new heavy-lift rocket, the Space Launch System.

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number of crew

4

Mission duration

Up to 21 days

full stack height

67 ft

gross liftoff mass

78,000 lbs

Launch Abort System

The launch abort system will carry the crew to safety in the event of an emergency during launch or ascent atop the agency’s Space Launch System rocket. It can activate within milliseconds to pull the vehicle to safety and position the crew module for a safe landing.

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The test version of Orion attached to the Launch Abort System for the Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2) flight test is moved on a transport at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 22, 2019, along the 21.5 mile trek to Space Launch Complex 46 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in preparation for its launch this summer.

Orion Reference Guide

A detailed overview of the design, development, testing, and engineering of NASA's Orion spacecraft.

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Artemis I Flight Day 13: Orion, Earth, and Moon