NASA’s Orion spacecraft begins its journey back to Earth
New Delhi : Nasa's Orion spacecraft has left its distant lunar orbit and has now started its journey back to Earth, according to NASA.
On Thursday, NASA had conducted an engine burn on Orion to propel the spacecraft out of its lunar orbit.
The burn is one of the 2 maneuvers required ahead of organs splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on December 11, said NASA.
The second maneuver will be done on December 5, when the spacecraft will fly 126.7 kilometres above the lunar surface and perform the return powered flyby burn, which will commit Orion on its course towards Earth.
NASA had launched Orion onboard NASA’s Space Launch System rocket on November 16 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The mission was an unmanned mission and it will pave the way for crewed flight test and future human lunar explorations, the part of NASA’s Artemis Lunar program.
