National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

Orion Spacecraft:

Put to the Test 

www.nasa.gov
 

 

 

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Named after one of the largest constellations in the night sky and drawing from over 50 years of spaceflight, the Orion spacecraft is 

America’s next generation spacecraft that will take astronauts to exciting destinations never before explored by humans. The Orion 

program uses unique facilities at NASA’s Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio, to evaluate the spacecraft. To date, five 

major Orion -related tests have been conducted at the test facility’s Space Environments Complex (SEC), which houses three of the 

world’s largest and most capable simulated spaceflight test facilities: Space Simulation Vacuum Chamber, the Reverberant Acoustic 

Test Facility (RATF), and the Mechanical Vibration Facility (MVF). 

Crew Module Backshell Testing 

February 2015 

European Service Module Structural Testing 

Nov. 2015 - March 2017 

Launch Abort System Panel Testing 

July– Aug. 2017 

Ascent Abort 2 Acoustic Test 

August 2018 

Artemis I Crew Module and Service Module Testing 

Dec. 2019-March 2020 

A series of increasingly challenging missions awaits, and the Orion spacecraft will take us farther than we’ve gone before, including 

sending the first woman and next man to the Moon. 

At the SEC, engineers and technicians conducted an 

acoustic test of the Thermal Protection System. Using 

the power of RATF – 160 decibels, which is as loud as 

having firecrackers go off right by your ear – to 

simulate acoustics during a launch abort, NASA 

confirmed the thermal panel design met requirements.

NASA, ESA (European Space Agency), Lockheed Martin, and 

Airbus completed evaluation of the full-size test version of 

Orion’s European Service Module (ESM) at the SEC. The ESM 

will provide life support systems for the crew, as well as 

propulsion and power during future Artemis missions. The first 

test focused on the successful solar array after transport from 

Europe. Next, the ESM went to RATF, where it was blasted with 

over 150 decibels. It was then placed on MVF to simulate 

launching on the Space Launch System rocket. A final solar 

wing deployment was conducted to verify Orion’s power system.

In summer 2017, RATF tested Orion’s ogive panels and hatch, which 

protect the crew from harsh sounds and vibrations during a launch abort. 

The launch abort system keeps astronauts safe if there is an emergency 

during launch by pulling the crew module away from the spacecraft.

NASA engineers used RATF to conduct abort-level acoustic tests for 

Orion’s Ascent Abort-2 flight test crew module, simulating the conditions 

the test module would experience during flight. The test was successful, 

verifying the vehicle structure workmanship and computer modeling 

predictions, while also confirming the operation of test capsule’s avionics.

An international team of engineers and technicians completed four 

months of testing of the Orion spacecraft for Artemis I. It began with 

thermal vacuum testing to simulate flying in and out of sunlight and 

shadow in space while Orion’s systems were powered on. The second 

phase was an electromagnetic interference and compatibility test to 

simulate the effects of internal and external radio frequencies on the 

spacecraft’s avionics and electronics. The test campaign completed 

weeks ahead of schedule, confirming the spacecraft will perform safely 

and as designed during future Artemis missions.