The Orion spacecraft, operated by NASA, has now traveled farther than any other spacecraft intended to carry people. It has marked an important milestone in its journey around the Moon. The unmanned Orion spacecraft reached the halfway point of its mission on Monday, according to NASA, when it traveled at least 270,000 miles (430,000 km) beyond Earth.
The US space agency’s historic Artemis I project, which aims to return humans to the Moon after nearly 50 years, depends on the Orion spacecraft. The Apollo 13 mission, which took men at least 248,655 miles (400,171 km) from Earth in 1970, set the previous record.
Orion traveled more than 40,000 miles (64,374 km) beyond the far side of the Moon
Earlier this month, the capsule launched from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on a 26-day mission. It was supposed to test the limitations of the craft and make sure astronauts can ride in it safely. Notably, Orion traveled more than 40,000 miles (64,374 km) beyond the far side of the Moon on Monday.
Although there have been a few technical glitches, or as Michael Sarafin, the Artemis I Mission Manager, refers to them, “funnies,” none of them, he assures, “are out there are of concern.” Orion’s performance thus far has been “excellent,” even going above and above expectations in several areas. Such as using a lot less fuel, according to Orion Program Manager Howard Hu, who spoke to the media on Monday.
The spacecraft is scheduled to crash into the Pacific Ocean on December 11
The data transmitted by Orion’s star tracker, which conveys the direction of the spacecraft, had previously experienced some problems. But according to NASA officials, that is usually when running a new spacecraft, and they have now “worked through” it. On December 11, the spacecraft is scheduled to crash into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California.