Lockheed Martin Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV)

[Triton]

NASA announced on May 24, 2011 that the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) will be based on designs originally planned for the Orion spacecraft.

From Space.com, "NASA Unveils Spaceship for Deep Space Exploration" by Mike Wall.
http://www.space.com/11765-nasa-deep-space-exploration-vehicle-announcement.html

Artist's impressions and mockup of Lockheed Martin Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV).

Comparison of Space Shuttle, Ares I, and Delta IV Heavy launch options. Will we see the MPCV launched by a variant of the Delta IV?

Sources:
http://www.space.com/11765-nasa-deep-space-exploration-vehicle-announcement.html
http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/mpcv/

 

[Matej]

Its nice that the NASA wants this kind of vehicle, but simultaneously it hasn't got any idea, where it should actually fly. Note that while it is expected to be some sort of backup for the private projects (CCDev), it is still above LEO optimized vehicle.