Delta IV H Orion EFT

EELV Delta IV Heavy EFT-1

Mission Profile

The Delta IV Heavy EFT-1 was a specific mission configuration of United Launch Alliance's Delta IV Heavy rocket used to launch NASA's Orion spacecraft on its first uncrewed test flight — Exploration Flight Test 1 — on December 5, 2014. Standing 72 m tall with a 5.1 m diameter and a liftoff mass of 733 tonnes, it generated 9,420 kN of combined thrust from three Common Booster Cores. The EFT-1 mission sent Orion on a high-apogee trajectory exceeding 5,800 km altitude, validating the capsule's heat shield, avionics, and parachute system under conditions simulating a return from lunar distance, directly informing the Artemis program.