Orion prepares to return to Earth. The capsule, which provides NASA’s Artemis I mission, must leave lunar orbit to complete its journey.
A small turn and then goes away. After going much further than any other capsule intended for transporting astronauts, Artemis I come home. The time has come for the Orion capsule leaving lunar orbit. With a new firing, the first mission of the Artemis program will return to our planet, its trajectory continuing to draw strange zigzags.
You can follow this new stage of the Artemis I missionas Nasa is hosting a live, online event.
- When ? Thursday, December 1, 2022, from 10:30 p.m. (Paris time).
- Where ? On the NASA web TV, via son site or directly on Youtube.
- Quoi ? The departure of Orion, the ship of the Artemis I mission, to Earth. The capsule will leave its current trajectory, in orbit around the Lune.
A departure after 6 days in lunar orbit for Artemis I
Since November 25, the Orion spacecraft has been in a distant and retrograde lunar orbit, that is to say, rotating in the opposite direction to the rotation of the Moon. The shape of this orbit, which can be described as oval, is such that the capsule has been at very varied distances from the lunar surface. Farthest from us, Orion thus traveled more than 434,500 km away on November 28. In total, the ship remained 6 days in this lunar orbit.
The firing to leave this orbit is scheduled for 10:53 p.m. The European service module will be responsible for carrying it out. This part of the ship, which was partly made in France, contains Orion’s propulsion system. It is also the one that will contain the elements necessary for astronauts during future Artemis missions.
Artemis I’s trajectory will continue to be adjusted throughout the journey to Earth. Arriving near our planet, the propulsion system will be detached from the capsule. It will then be able to enter the Earth’s atmosphere and end its course, if all has gone well, in the Pacific Ocean, where it will be recovered.
Humanity’s return to the Moon depends on this trip
The return of Orion to Earth without damage would be very good news for NASA. Even though the capsule does not carry an astronaut, this unmanned test flight should confirm that the agency is capable of returning a crew to the Moon. From the Artemis II mission, which could take place in 2024, 4 astronauts will be on board the vehicle. It is therefore crucial to ensure that you can bring them back to Earth safe and sound on this trip.
In addition to this live event, dedicated to Orion’s departure from lunar orbit, you can follow Orion’s odyssey live from the capsule.