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May 29, 2026 08:25

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How a Santa Ana company and its 100-year-old Singer made Orion’s massive parachutes

Santa Ana, San Diego, technology, space, aerospace, manufacturing

Airborne Systems in Santa Ana, California, manufactured the parachute system for NASA's Artemis II Orion spacecraft, which successfully splashed down off San Diego. The company's 100-year-old Singer sewing machine stitched the 116-foot diameter main canopies.

Ben Tutt, director of engineering, oversaw the design of an 11-parachute sequence that slowed the capsule from 25,000 mph to 20 mph. The factory also produces parachutes for military, Mars rovers, and Blue Origin.

The historic Singer machine is so old that spare parts are sourced from eBay.

This story was originally reported by ocregister. Read the original article here.

Summarized by CaliforniaToday AI.

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Santa AnaSan Diegotechnologyspaceaerospacemanufacturing
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