But if all goes according to plan, the Orion spacecraft, which will be used by astronauts in the future, will set a new record. It is expected to fly 64,000 kilometers around the moon, which means a flight range of about 450,000 kilometers.
Orion's flight will take more than a month
The launch of the Space Launch System rocket that put Orion into orbit is just the beginning of the Artemis I mission. The spacecraft will then fly around the moon and return to Earth, which will take about 40 days. Of course, this is a long journey, during which many things can go wrong. But NASA wants to test this vehicle, which will then be piloted by humans, as much as possible.
“We want to minimize risks during a manned mission, so we are morocco number data willing to take more risks in an unmanned mission,” representatives of the American agency say.
That is, NASA wants to test the ship as much as possible in order to avoid unpleasant surprises when a crew of astronauts is on board. This is a kind of test flight that should reveal all the pros and cons of the ship.
This is the first orbital flight of the SLS rocket
The SLS rocket is the most powerful rocket in history, which, of course, has already passed a whole set of tests, but has never flown into orbit! The Artemis I mission is a key test for this huge, over 100-meter-long structure. Therefore, the first minutes of the mission will be so important, which will show whether billions of dollars were spent on this project in vain.
Yes, the SLS rocket took off without any complications and put the spacecraft into orbit. The Orion capsule is currently heading towards the Moon and has already managed to take some nice pictures, where you can see the Earth moving away from the capsule. However, this is far from the complete picture of the situation.