NASA’s Orion capsule reaches key milestone on its demonstration mission around the Moon

The US space agency NASA’s Orion capsule has reached a key milestone on its demonstration mission around the Moon. It moved some 4,30,000 kilometer beyond the Earth yesterday, the furthest any spacecraft designed to carry humans has travelled.

The capsule is uncrewed now, however, if it completes the current flight without incident, the astronauts will be on the next outing in two years’ time. According to reports, Nasa is planning a series of ever more complex missions with Orion.

They’re part of the agency’s Artemis programme, which seeks to return people to the lunar surface after a gap of 50 years. Monday’s milestone marks the middle point of the mission.

The capsule was launched from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on 16th of this month on 26-day mission designed to stretch its systems and make sure it is safe to carry astronauts. The spacecraft is due to splash down in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego in California on 11th of next month.