The Orion spacecraft was a key part of NASA's Artemis I mission.
On December 11th, 2022, the world watched in awe as NASA's Orion spacecraft made its historic reentry into Earth's atmosphere, marking the culmination of the Artemis I mission. Originally launched on November 16th, 2022, Orion was designed to one day carry astronauts to deep space.
To commemorate the anniversary of its incredible journey, NASA released a captivating video showcasing the capsule's fiery descent at 32 times the speed of sound. The video, which went viral on social media, offers a glimpse into the immense power and technology required for such an awe-inspiring feat. A longer, 25-minute version of the reentry is also available for those who want to delve deeper into this extraordinary event.
The success of the Artemis I mission marks a significant milestone in humanity's exploration of space, paving the way for future lunar missions with astronauts. With Orion now on the scene, the possibilities for future space exploration seem limitless.
According to NASA, over the course of 25.5 days, Orion performed two lunar flybys, coming within 80 miles (129 kilometers) of the lunar surface. At its farthest distance during the mission, Orion traveled nearly 270,000 miles (435,000 kilometers) from our home planet. On Dec. 11, 2022, NASA's Orion spacecraft successfully completed a parachute-assisted splashdown in the Pacific Ocean at 12:40 p.m. EST as the final major milestone of the Artemis I mission.
Artemis I was the first in a series of increasingly complex missions that will enable human exploration on the Moon and future missions to Mars. Following the success of Artemis I, humans will fly around the moon on Artemis II.