07.04.2026, 13:49
Orion manned spacecraft completes Moon flyby
Source: OREANDA-NEWS
OREANDA-NEWS The American Orion spacecraft with four astronauts on board as part of the Artemis II mission has completed a flyby of the Moon and is now returning to Earth, NASA reports.
"He is in the final stage of the flight, returning to Earth," the report says.
During the nearly seven-hour flyby, which began on Monday at 2:45 p.m. on the East Coast of the United States (at 9:45 p.m. Moscow time), the spacecraft conducted scientific research and photographed more than three dozen objects on the surface of the Moon.
During the maximum approach, the spacecraft was at a distance of 6550 km from the lunar surface.
The crew was able to observe the Moon's sunlit surface for about five hours. For the first time, astronauts explored its underside from a higher and wider viewpoint than previous American Apollo missions.
The astronauts witnessed the fall of meteorites on the lunar surface, observed the eclipse from a unique viewpoint when the Sun disappeared behind the Moon, having seen its crown.
All objects, including the size, shape, and even color of craters, slopes, and structures, were documented during the flight.
According to NASA, the Orion spacecraft, crewed by NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Kristina Koch, as well as Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, will return to Earth with a landing in the Pacific Ocean on April 10.
The Orion spacecraft was launched using an SLS heavy launch vehicle from the Cape Canaveral Space Center in Florida last Wednesday at 18:35 Eastern Coast time (Thursday at 01:35 Moscow time).
"He is in the final stage of the flight, returning to Earth," the report says.
During the nearly seven-hour flyby, which began on Monday at 2:45 p.m. on the East Coast of the United States (at 9:45 p.m. Moscow time), the spacecraft conducted scientific research and photographed more than three dozen objects on the surface of the Moon.
During the maximum approach, the spacecraft was at a distance of 6550 km from the lunar surface.
The crew was able to observe the Moon's sunlit surface for about five hours. For the first time, astronauts explored its underside from a higher and wider viewpoint than previous American Apollo missions.
The astronauts witnessed the fall of meteorites on the lunar surface, observed the eclipse from a unique viewpoint when the Sun disappeared behind the Moon, having seen its crown.
All objects, including the size, shape, and even color of craters, slopes, and structures, were documented during the flight.
According to NASA, the Orion spacecraft, crewed by NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Kristina Koch, as well as Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, will return to Earth with a landing in the Pacific Ocean on April 10.
The Orion spacecraft was launched using an SLS heavy launch vehicle from the Cape Canaveral Space Center in Florida last Wednesday at 18:35 Eastern Coast time (Thursday at 01:35 Moscow time).
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