The Orion spacecraft has completed half of its initial mission orbiting the Moon after a flawless launch. The spacecraft reached the farthest distance from Earth it will travel during the Artemis-1 mission.
After being launched from Cape Canaveral, Orion travelled more than 4,32,000 kilometres away from its home planet. Throughout the day, the spacecraft also recorded images of Earth and the Moon together, including one in which the Moon appeared to eclipse Earth.
‘Reaching the halfway point of the mission on Flight Day 13 of a 25.5-day mission, the spacecraft remains in healthy condition as it continues its journey in distant retrograde orbit, an approximately six-day leg of its larger mission thousands of miles beyond the Moon,’ Nasa said in a statement.
Additionally, the main engine, auxiliary thrusters and reaction control system thrusters aboard Orion have all been exercised by flight controllers, along with 9 of the 19 translational burns.
Nasa Administrator Bill Nelson said that because of the unbelievable can-do spirit, Artemis-1 has had extraordinary success and has completed a series of history-making events. He added, ‘it’s incredible just how smoothly this mission has gone, but this is a test. That’s what we do – we test it and we stress it.’
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