Orion Prepares for Earth Landing | NASA's Artemis I Moon Mission

Orion Prepares for Earth Landing | NASA's Artemis I Moon Mission

Flight Day 26: NASA's Orion spacecraft is returning to Earth. Orion is currently less than 10,000 miles/16,000 km away. Traveling at 13,000 mph/21,000 kmh and accelerating.

The Orion spacecraft is on its last day in space with splashdown off the Baja Coast near Guadalupe Island in the Pacific Ocean targeted for 11:39 a.m. CST (12:39 p.m. EST) on Sunday, Dec. 11, 2022.

Orion launched on the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket from Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022. Artemis I is an uncrewed flight test of our SLS rocket, Orion spacecraft, and exploration ground systems for future Artemis missions—which will provide the foundation to send humans to the lunar surface, develop a long-term presence on and around the Moon, and pave the way for humanity to set foot on Mars.

More on Artemis I: https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis-i

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Image Capture Date: Dec. 11, 2022

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