Orion - Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (The Next Adaptation of Manned Space Craft)

The Orion Multi-Purpose CrewVehicle is the new exciting project in manned space exploration. It is the next advancement from the space shuttle. This is so that crew and space vehicle can go beyond low orbit and further into space – much further. The ambitions for Mutli-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) are very exciting. With this new innovation astronauts will go beyond space stations orbiting Earth and travel to the Moon, explore asteroids and of course Mars - mankind’s new goal and next giant step.

There will be several of these special adapted space craft built. For NASA the Orion MPCV will be built by the famous Lockheed Martin group. For the European Space Agency, the MPCV will be constructed by a group called Astrium. Each spacecraft will carry four or more astronauts and various cargoes to deliver to space station construction sites or other more adventurous destinations as mentioned already.

The first flights are scheduled to launch aboard a Delta IV rocket for an exploration test journey in 2014 with the first manned mission in 2020.