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On July 2, 2019, the Ascent Abort 2 test of the Orion spacecraft was performed, with the Orion command module ascending on a solid rocket booster, then firing its launch escape system to safely separate it from the booster.

One of the announcers in the video states at 1:47 that the spacecraft is not parachute-equipped for this test; besides live telemetry it is equipped with several ejectable data recorders which are deployed near the end of the test and recovered from the ocean afterwards. The video simply doesn't show the impact of the spacecraft in the ocean.

It seems odd to me that the Orion wouldn't be equipped with parachutes for the test. Safe landing is an integral part of an abort. Correct deployment of parachutes in a dynamic environment is a tricky problem, worth testing repeatedly. No matter how stripped down the Orion might be (I've seen twitter sources claiming it's a "boilerplate article"), I have to assume even the hull alone has to be worth more than the cost of installing parachutes, let alone any instrumentation inside it; even if it couldn't be reused as a flight article after splashdown, it could be used for anything from future abort tests to training to a museum piece.

What rationale is there for not doing a complete parachute recovery test as part of the abort test?

The test they were doing didn’t require parachutes. Data-taking ended right after the capsule separated from the tower. Since the capsule’s behavior after that was not part of the test, it could be an inert item.

To extend the test through parachute deployment, the capsule would have to be much more complex with the parachutes, deployment system, and a reaction control system to stabilize for deployment. That’s a lot of cost. (The capsules are single use, so you’re throwing that away)

Perhaps more important than cost, though, it’s also a lot of time to build that. The AA2 test was on the critical path, and delaying it would only happen for a Real Good Reason.

This is not a complete answer as I do not know the status of the parachute development, but here are some reasons a parachute is not needed:

1. 
   

   Ejected Data Recorders:
   These ~20 data recorders, literally Raspberry Pis with parachutes and waterproofing, all get the complete telemetry data from the test. This is made up of accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer (compass), barometer (altimeter), GPS, strain gauge, thermocouples, and more sensor data. The only data that would have been added to this if the Orion had a parachute are:

   
   
   
   • Material analysis, basically finding cracks
   
   
   • Launch loads on the parachute (not hard to emulate)
   
   



2. Previous Parachute Tests:
   If I remember correctly, the Orion parachutes have been tested in a variety of scenarios already, including subsonic and supersonic / high altitude.




3. High Cost of Refurbishment:
   A water-recovered test article would likely need refurbishment with a cost similar to its original cost to be able to be used in further tests. Also, further tests likely would use much different sensor arrangements.

Of course budget factors into this, but NASA is always on top of mitigating its risk.