NASA's Orion capsule reaches lunar orbit, will return to Earth on December 11

- Orion will fly about 40,000 miles above the moon

- Orion is launched at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston

- Orion was traveling more than 5,700 miles from the surface of the Moon

- The Orion capsule will reach the farthest from the Moon during the mission

New delhi date. 26 November 2022, Saturday

The US space agency has completed the process of inserting the Orion spacecraft into lunar orbit under the Artemis I Moon mission. Orion will fly about 40,000 miles above the moon. Orion is launched at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. Orion was traveling more than 5,700 miles from the moon's surface, the furthest it will reach the moon during the mission.

While in lunar orbit, flight controllers will monitor key systems and checkout the deep space environment. "Due to orbital distance, it will take Orion about a week to complete a half-orbit around the Moon, where it will exit orbit for a return trip," the US space agency said in a statement.

About four days later the spacecraft will once again use the Moon's gravitational pull. The lunar flyby will burn precisely timed to slingshot Orion back to Earth before splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on December 11. "The Orion spacecraft will break the record for the longest distance by a spacecraft designed to carry humans into space and return them safely to Earth," NASA said.