November 8, 2013

Image Caption: The three panel or fairings encapsulating a stand-in for Orions service module successfully detach during a test Nov. 6, 2013 at Lockheed Martins facility in Sunnyvale, Calif. Image Credit: Lockheed Martin

Lee Rannals for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

NASA said its Orion multipurpose crew vehicle had a flawless test on Wednesday, taking the spacecraft one step closer to its first trip to space next year.

During the test, three massive panels protecting a test version of Orion successfully fell away from the spacecraft. This system will help to protect Orion during its trip to space.

The panels, or fairings, encase Orions service module and protect it from the heat, wind and acoustics experienced during launch. This module will contain the in-space propulsion capability for orbital transfer, altitude control and high-altitude ascent aborts when Orion begins carrying humans in 2021.

[ Watch the video: Orion Spacecraft - Sending Humans To Mars ]

The service module will be able to generate and store power, as well as provide thermal control, water and air for the astronauts working inside the spacecraft. The module will remain connected to the crew module until just before the capsule returns back to Earth.

Hardware separation events like this are absolutely critical to the mission and some of the more complicated things we do, Mark Geyer, Orion program manager at NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston, said in a statement. We want to know weve got the design exactly right and that it can be counted on in space before we ever launch.

The panels are designed to help support half of the weight of Orions crew module and launch abort systems during launch and ascent. They will help improve performance, save weight and maximize the size and capability of the spacecraft.

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NASA Says Recent Orion Crew Vehicle Test Fire Was 'Flawless'