Exploration Flight Test-1, the first flight test of Orion, is launched.

Exploration Flight Test-1 or EFT-1 was a technology demonstration mission and the first flight test of the crew module portion of the Orion spacecraft. Without a crew, it was launched on 5 December 2014 at 12:05 UTC by a Delta IV Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex 37B at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

Orion is a partially reusable crewed spacecraft used in NASA's Artemis program. The spacecraft consists of a Crew Module (CM) space capsule designed by Lockheed Martin that is paired with a European Service Module (ESM) manufactured by Airbus Defence and Space. Capable of supporting a crew of four beyond low Earth orbit, Orion can last up to 21 days undocked and up to six months docked. It is equipped with solar panels, an automated docking system, and glass cockpit interfaces. Orion is launched atop a Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, with a tower launch escape system.