Artemis I's Orion Capsule Returns Safely to Earth
NASA is paving the way for a long - term lunar presence
NASA getting closer to a new Moon mission
The world's most powerful rocket was launched on November 16th. from the NASA's Space Center in Florida. The main goal of the Artemis I mission was to demonstrate Orion's systems in spaceflight environment and ensure a safe re – entry, descent, splashdown and recovery prior to the first flight with crew on Artemis II.
Artemis I was the first in a series of increasingly complex missions to build a long – term human presence at the Moon for decades to come.
NASA’s Orion spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, west of Baja California, on Sunday, December 11., after a record-breaking mission, traveling more than 1.4 million miles on a path around the Moon and returning safely to Earth, completing the Artemis I flight test. The capsule was carrying a simulated crew of three mannequins wired with sensors, giving NASA's engineers a key demonstration of how future lunar astronauts would safely return of Earth. Coincidentally, the capsule’s return on Sunday unfolded on the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 17 Moon landing of Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt on December 11, 1972.
The Mission Path
During the mission, Orion performed two lunar flybys, coming within 80 miles of the lunar surface. At its farthest distance during the mission, Orion traveled nearly 270,000 miles from our home planet, more than 1,000 times farther than where the International Space Station orbits Earth, to intentionally stress systems before flying crew.
Jim Free, NASA's associate administrator for the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate said: „With Orion safely returned to Earth we can begin to see our next mission on the horizon which will fly crew to the Moon for the first time as a part of the next era of exploration, This begins our path to a regular cadence of missions and a sustained human presence at the Moon for scientific discovery and to prepare for human missions to Mars“.
The Future of The Artemis Project
The next Orion flight around the Moon is set for 2024. Considering the „dress – rehearsal“ went well, this time, instead of dummys, there will be a four man crew of astronauts on board. That will be followed by a two – person lunar landing as early as 2025.
Check out the full image gallery from the Artemis I mission here.