Upon entering lunar orbit, the spacecraft was approximately 380,000 kilometers from Earth. In the coming days it is expected to reach a distance of up to 420,000 kilometers, which would be a record for a spacecraft built for a human crew. “It’s a statistic, but also a symbolic figure for what it represents,” said NASA’s Jim Geffre.
Over the next few days, NASA engineers will test the propulsion systems or the ability to maintain the spacecraft’s precise course. The goal is to test whether the ship will be able to carry astronauts to the moon and then back to earth.
