Orion Spacecraft Reaches Farthest Distance From Earth, Breaks 1970¡¯s Apollo 13 Record
NASA in a statement revealed that Orion also managed to capture an image of Earth and Moon together throughout the day, including a moment when the Moon appeared to eclipse our planet.
NASA¡¯s Orion spacecraft on an uncrewed mission has shattered the previous record set in 1970 by the Apollo 13 crew¡¯s aborted mission to land on the Moon, reveals an IANS report.
NASA
The Orion spacecraft has today reached the farthest distance from Earth during the Artemis I mission -- around 433, 210 kilometres to be exact. The previous record was set at 400,171 kilometres from Earth.
NASA in a statement revealed that Orion also managed to capture an image of Earth and Moon together throughout the day, including a moment when the Moon appeared to eclipse our planet.
The space agency highlighted that the spacecraft was still in a healthy condition as it continued its journey in a distant retrograde orbit -- around the six day leg of its larger mission thousands of kilometres beyond the Lunar surface.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement, "Because of the unbelievable can-do spirit, Artemis I has had extraordinary success and has completed a series of history-making events. It's incredible just how smoothly this mission has gone, but this is a test. That's what we do we test it and stress it."
NASA
As per last reports, Orion was 432,039 kilometres away from Earth, cruising at a speed of 2,702 kilometres per hour.
The spacecraft will make use of the Lunar gravitational force fused with a precisely timed lunar flyby burn to catapult Orion its return course to Earth ahead of the splashdown in the Pacific Ocean that¡¯s scheduled on December 11.
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