In the United States tested the lunar ship Orion

Orion is able to carry up to six astronauts.

American Corporation Lockheed Martin and NASA conducted a key test of reusable manned spacecraft Orion, designed to send to the moon and Mars astronauts. The tests deemed successful, according to NASA.

For the first time tested performance of the main electronic systems of the vehicle, in particular on-Board power supply and computer, and tested software installed on the software. All were tested 55 components, which within two to three months it is planned to join about 400 cables.

Orion consists of two modules: team and service. First designed by the American side, to develop a second deals with the European space Agency. The Orion design resembles devices Mercury and Apollo, used by the US until 1970-ies, but larger and more powerful than them. The total mass of Orion exceeds 20 tons, the height of the cargo module conical shape — more than three meters, a base diameter of about five meters.

Orion is able to carry up to six astronauts, the volume of its living space is approximately nine cubic meters. The vehicle is developed by Lockheed Martin at NASA’s request, on its creation has already spent around $ 14 billion.

The first flight of Orion took place on 5 December 2014. The ship was removed from the Earth at a distance of 5.8 thousand kilometers and crossed the radiation belt of the Earth. The last time a spacecraft made a similar journey in the final mission of the Apollo program in 1972.

The second test start, also unmanned, scheduled for 2019, when the camera will fly around the moon. Start with a crew planned for 2021, sending humans to Mars in 2030-ies.

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