By performing this flyby very close to the surface, the spacecraft took advantage of the Moon’s gravitational pull to propel itself on its return trajectory.
Communication with the capsule was interrupted for 30 minutes when it passed behind the far side of the Moon. She was also to fly over Apollo mission landing sites.
The essential thrust of the main engine of the European service module, which propels the capsule, lasted a little more than three minutes.
This was the last major maneuver of the mission. The latter started with the liftoff of NASA’s new mega-rocket on November 16for a trip to last 25 and a half days in total.
Orion will now make only slight course corrections until it lands in the Pacific Ocean off the US city of San Diego on Sunday, December 11 at 12:40 p.m. EST. She will be recovered and hoisted aboard a US Navy vessel.
During the mission, Orion spent about six days in remote orbit around the Moon.
A week ago, this brand new spacecraft broke the distance record for a habitable capsule, venturing just over 432,000 km from our planet – farther than the Apollo missions.
The capsule does not carry a passenger, the purpose of this Artemis 1 mission being to verify that the vehicle is safe for a future crew.
The main objective is to test the resistance of Orion’s heat shield – the largest ever built – when it re-enters the Earth’s atmosphere at a speed of 40,000 km/h. It will have to withstand a temperature half as hot as the surface of the Sun (2800°C).
With the Artemis program, the Americans intend to establish a lasting presence on the Moon, in order to prepare for a trip to Mars.
The Artemis 2 mission will take astronauts to the Moon, still without landing there. This honor will be reserved for the crew of Artemis 3.