The Orion spacecraft was placed in distant lunar orbit on the tenth day of the Artemis-1 mission, NASA announced on Friday, November 25. In blog postthe US space agency said:
“During this lunar orbit, flight controllers will monitor critical systems [d’Orion] and perform checks related to the deep space environment. »
This new capsulewhich is to take astronauts to the Moon in the coming years – the first to set foot on its surface since the last Apollo mission in 1972 – is currently traveling more than 64,000 kilometers from the Moon.
Without crew on board
At this distance, it will take no less than six days to cover half a lunar orbit, before beginning the return journey to Earth.
This first test flight of the Orion spacecraft, without a crew on board, must be used to ensure that the vehicle is safe. The landing in the Pacific Ocean is scheduled for December 11, after just over twenty-five days of flight.
The success of this mission depends on the future of Artemis-2, which will take astronauts around the Moon without landing, then Artemis-3, which will mark the return of humans to the lunar surface. These missions are to take place in 2024 and 2025 respectively.