Launch of NASA’s Orion

The Orion spacecraft floats in the Pacific Ocean after splashdown on December 5, 2014.  (NASA / Reuters)

A Delta IV heavy rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft launches December 5, 2014 from Cape Canaveral.   (Red Huber / Orlando Sentinel)

The Delta IV heavy rocket with the Orion spacecraft lifts off from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on December 5, 2014.   (Mike Brown / Reuters)

The Delta IV heavy rocket with the Orion spacecraft lifts off from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on December 5, 2014.   (Scott Audette / Reuters)

A Delta IV heavy rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft launches on December 5, 2014 at complex 37B at Cape Canaveral.  (Red Huber / Orlando Sentinel)

Orion and the Delta IV heavy rocket sit ready for launch at Cape Canveral, Florida on December 4, 2014.   (NASA / Handout)

NASA scrubbed the launch of a Delta IV heavy rocket on December 4, 2014 at Cape Canaveral, rescheduling it for the next morning.  (Red Huber / Orlando Sentinel/TNS)

The launch of NASA’s deep-space Orion capsule on a test flight around Earth was delayed on December 4, 2014 after a last-minute technical problem with its rocket.  (NASA / Handout)