KSC-2013-4017

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, agency Administrator Charles Bolden answers questions from members of the news media about ongoing preparations of the Orion spacecraft for its first unpiloted launch, Exploration Test Flight 1. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry crews to space beyond low Earth orbit. It will provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orion’s first unpiloted test launch is scheduled for liftoff during 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket. A second unpiloted flight test is scheduled for 2017 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossman