The Orion, an unmanned lunar spacecraft that was part of the Artemis I mission, an American lunar return project, has begun its flight back to Earth.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced on the 5th (local time) that Orion, which flew close to lunar orbit, was on its way back to Earth.
Orion has taken turns passing the Apollo 12 and 14 lunar landing sites in the past and flown close to the sky within 130 km of the lunar surface.
Then, as they returned to the moon’s surface, they used the moon’s gravity as a slingshot to accelerate toward Earth.
“Orion has now set its sights on home,” said NASA mission control commentator Sandra Jones.
The Associated Press cited NASA officials and assessed that Orion’s flight thus far has been smooth enough to exceed expectations.
Orion’s scheduled return to Earth is on the morning of the 11th.
According to NASA, Orion will enter the atmosphere at more than 30 times the speed of sound, then deploy its parachute and launch into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, California.
(Photo = Provided by NASA, Yonhap News)
