OREANDA-NEWS. Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (NYSE:JEC) announced today it was tasked by the NASA Johnson Space Center under the JSC Engineering and Technical Services (JETS) contract to perform manned flight qualification testing on the parachute system for the Orion space capsule. The capsule is being developed for human deep space exploration.

In addition to testing, Jacobs’ role also includes the production, delivery and installation of the flight parachutes for the first Orion Exploration Mission (EM-1), a mission to circumnavigate the moon and return to Earth.

This task is valued at $40.3 million and is a continuation of ongoing parachute development / test work Jacobs has been performing for the Orion Program since 2006.

Jacobs recently completed the seventeenth and final engineering development test of the Orion parachute system in Arizona at the U.S. Army’s Yuma Proving Grounds. This test featured a dart-like vehicle reaching the descent speeds required to achieve the primary test objective of system performance at maximum dynamic pressure.

Since 2007, Jacobs has completed 38 full-scale parachute system tests for NASA. It also provided the parachutes for the successful Engineering Flight Test 1 (EFT-1) in 2014, where Orion reached an orbit of 3,600 miles above Earth.

In making the announcement, Jacobs Senior Vice President, Aerospace and Technology Ward Johnson stated, “It’s an honor for Jacobs to be associated with NASA on this exciting program that is ultimately expected to take humans into deep space and onto Mars. We have a long relationship with NASA, and we look forward to leveraging our experience in this area.”

Jacobs is one of the world’s largest and most diverse providers of full-spectrum technical, professional and construction services for industrial, commercial and government organizations globally. The company employs 60,000 people and operates in more than 30 countries around the world.