SPACE.com — Project Orion to Follow Apollo to the Moon
Project Apollo put the first humans on the surface of the Moon. The next time the U.S. launches its astronauts to Earth’s natural satellite, they will do so as part of Project Orion, collectSPACE.com has learned.
NASA intends to use the moniker Orion as both the title for its next generation manned craft, the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV), and as the project’s name. This approach is modeled after the 1960’s program when Apollo Command Modules launched astronauts under Project Apollo.
Under Project Orion, NASA would launch crews of four astronauts aboard Orion capsules, first to Earth orbit and the International Space Station and then later to the Moon.
Two teams, one led by Lockheed Martin and the other a joint effort by Northrop Grumman and The Boeing Co., are currently competing to build the CEV. NASA is expected to select the winner in September. [Read on]