Artemis 1 Prepares for Earth-bound Journey

Orion has begun its steps in preparing for its return to earth, starting with a departure burn from its lunar orbit.

Artemis-1: Outbound Journey

At 1:47am EST, on the 16th of November, 2022, the Artemis-1 mission began, lifting off with the SLS rocket from pad LC-39B from the Kennedy Space Center. After performing a flawless launch, the Orion craft separated from the upper stage of the rocket on its journey to the moon. In transit, the craft tested critical systems, such as communications, power, and propulsion. The SLS upper stage also deployed a suite of 10 satellites toward the moon, directed toward lunar and interplanetary science. After spending 4 days on its outbound flight, Orion entered orbit around the moon, where it would stay for the 11 days. 

Artemis-1 Final Steps

As the now historic mission begins to enter into its final days, only a few steps remain until the Orion capsule splashes down in the pacific. After spending 11 days in lunar orbit, the Orion capsule performed a correction burn that set its trajectory homebound. Performed on December 1st, this maneuver was completed by the AJ-10 engine located on the European Service Module, ESM. The AJ-10 engine used on this mission was adapted from the space shuttle, which used two of these engines to perform accurate maneuvers in orbit. On its path home, the craft will perform a second and final lunar flyby, skimming the surface of the moon at an altitude of 127 kilometers, or 79 miles. After performing the flyby, the Orion capsule will fly back to earth, with a projected landing time of December 11th at 1600 UTC (11:00am EST), ending the Artemis-1 mission.