Orion Spacecraft Coming Home | NASA's Artemis I Moon Mission Update

Orion Spacecraft Coming Home | NASA's Artemis I Moon Mission Update

Orion has left its distant lunar orbit and is on its return journey home. The spacecraft successfully completed the distant retrograde departure burn at 3:53 p.m. CST, firing its main engine for 1 minute 45 seconds on Dec. 1, 2022, to set the spacecraft on course for a close lunar flyby before its return home.

The burn changed Orion’s velocity by about 454 feet per second and was performed using the Orion main engine on the European Service Module. The engine is an orbital maneuvering system engine modified for use on Orion and built by Aerojet Rocketdyne. The engine has the ability to provide 6,000 pounds of thrust. The proven engine flying on Artemis I flew on 19 space shuttle flights, beginning with STS-41G in October 1984 and ending with STS-112 in October 2002.

The burn is one of two maneuvers required ahead of Orion’s splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on Dec. 11, 2022. The second will occur on Monday, Dec. 5, when the spacecraft will fly 79.2 miles above the lunar surface and perform the return powered flyby burn, which will commit Orion on its course toward Earth.

Artemis All Access – Episode 4: Artemis All Access is your look at the latest in Artemis I, the people and technology behind the mission, and what is coming up next. This uncrewed flight test around the Moon will pave the way for a crewed flight test and future human lunar exploration as part of Artemis.  

Learn more about the mission and track the Orion spacecraft’s current position at:

www.nasa.gov/trackartemis/

Live coverage of major events will air on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website at: www.nasa.gov/live 

Follow the Artemis I mission blog: https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center

Duration: 3 minutes, 38 seconds

Release Date: Dec. 2, 2022

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