NASA’s unmanned Artemis 1 spacecraft has successfully completed its maiden Moon flyby, passing within 130 kilometres of the lunar surface.
Artemis I is the first integrated flight test of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, which will launch an unmanned Orion spacecraft.
According to NASA, the spacecraft successfully executed its fourth orbital trajectory correction burn on the sixth day of the Artemis I mission, using the auxiliary engines before performing the first of two movements required to enter a distant retrograde orbit around the Moon.
On the eighth day of its mission, Orion spacecraft is preparing to enter a distant retrograde orbit, providing a highly stable orbit with minimal fuel consumption.
The spacecraft exited the gravitational sphere of influence of the Moon on November 23, 2022, at 39,993 miles, and will reach its farthest distance from the Moon on November 25, 2022, just before performing the next major burn to enter the orbit. The total distance covered by the spacecraft is 216,842 miles from Earth and 13,444 miles from the Moon, cruising at 3,489 miles per hour.
The second manoeuvre, the distant retrograde orbit insertion burn, will enter the orbit beyond the Moon on Friday. Orion will travel about 57,287 miles beyond the Moon at its farthest point on November 25, 2022, passing the record set by Apollo 13. NASA plans to launch the first crewed Moon landing since the Apollo 17 mission in 2025, including the first woman and the first person of color to walk on the Moon.
Artemis I will provide a foundation for human exploration in deep space and demonstrate NASA’s commitment and capability to extend human existence to the Moon and beyond.
