Orion (spacecraft)

The Orion spacecraft is a partially reusable spacecraft intended to be the primary crew vehicle for U.S. human spaceflight programs following the retirement of the Space Shuttle. Orion is designed to support exploration and research missions to the Moon, asteroids, and eventually Mars. The spacecraft consists of a crew module (CM) for the astronauts and a service module (SM) for propulsion, power, and life support. The Orion spacecraft is part of NASA's Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the Moon and eventually land the first humans on Mars. Orion in Hebrew is חללית אוריון. In other languages, it is known as Vaixella espacial Orion in Catalan, Raumschiff Orion in German, and Navette Orion in French. The spacecraft is designed to be launched atop a Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, and its development is a collaborative effort involving NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and other international partners. The first orbital test flight, Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1), was conducted in 2014, and the first crewed mission, Artemis 2, is planned for 2025.