NASA’s Orion capsule enters lunar orbit, nearing halfway point in test flight – National

NASA’s Orion capsule entered an orbit extending tens of thousands of miles around the Moon on Friday as it neared the halfway point of its test flight.

The capsule and its three test dummies have been in lunar orbit for over a week after launching a $4 billion demonstration aimed at paving the way for astronauts. In this wide and stable orbit he remains for nearly a week, making a half circle before returning home.

At the time of Friday’s engine ignition, the capsule was 238,000 miles (380,000 kilometers) from Earth. It is expected to reach a maximum distance of about 270,000 miles (432,000 kilometers) in a few days. This sets a new distance record for capsules designed to one day carry people.

“It’s a statistic, but it’s a metaphor for what it represents,” Orion manager Jim Geffle said in an interview with NASA earlier this week. “It’s about pushing yourself further, staying longer, and challenging yourself to push the boundaries of what you’ve explored so far.”

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NASA sees this as a rehearsal with astronauts for its next lunar flyby in 2024. Moon landings by astronauts could follow him as early as 2025. The last time an astronaut visited the Moon was on Apollo 17, 50 years before him.

Earlier in the week, Mission Control in Houston lost communication with the capsule for nearly an hour. At the time, controllers were coordinating communications links between Orion and the deep space network. Officials said the spacecraft was in good health.

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