Orion docked to the ISS. Illustration of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV, lower left) docked to the International Space Station (ISS). A robotic arm on the ISS is being used to extract an unpressurized cargo (UPC) payload. The conical Orion spacecraft is around 5 metres in diameter. It was originally part of the cancelled Constellation program. Announced in May 2011, it is intended to carry a crew of four, with the first crewed launches in around 2021. The first test launch took place on 5 December 2014. This spacecraft design is intended to be used for future missions to the Moon, to an asteroid, and to Mars, but is also able to dock with the ISS.