NASA’s Orion spacecraft returns to Earth after historic moon mission

NASA’s Orion spacecraft made a swift return to Earth from the moon, parachuting on December 11, 2022, into the Pacific Ocean after a 25.5-day mission to the Moon. The capsule was retrieved by NASA and U.S. Navy officials recovery team in helicopters and boats.

With the Artemis experiences and technologies, NASA will prepare for the next giant leap – sending astronauts to Mars.

“The splashdown of the Orion spacecraft – which occurred 50 years to the day of the Apollo 17 Moon landing – is the crowning achievement of Artemis I. From the launch of the world’s most powerful rocket to the exceptional journey around the Moon and back to Earth, this flight test is a major step forward in the Artemis Generation of lunar exploration,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. 

NASA’s massive Space Launch System (SLS) rocket lifted off on November 16 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida after several launch delays due to technical glitches. SLS is the world’s most powerful rocket that can carry more payload to deep space than any other vehicle. The prime contractor for the Orion spacecraft is Lockheed Martin and the module is built by the European Space Agency (ESA). Other contractors include Aerojet Rocketdyne, Boeing, Jacobs and Northrop Grumman. 

Splashdown in the Pacific Ocean

During the fiery re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere, Orion’s robust heat shield endured temperatures about half as hot as the surface of the Sun at about 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,800 degrees Celsius).

Mission highlights

• Orion spent 25.5 days in space before returning to Earth, completing Artemis I mission.
• During the mission, Orion performed two lunar flybys, coming within 80 miles of the lunar surface.
• Orion traveled nearly 270,000 miles from our home planet, more than 1,000 times farther than where the International Space Station (ISS) orbits Earth.
• Orion is designed to send astronauts farther into space than ever before.

Mission significance: The milestone brings us one big step closer to making human deep space exploration a reality. Orion’s return marks the first step toward returning humans to the moon 50 years to the day after Apollo’s final moon landing. Orion spacecraft is part of the Artemis program. Artemis I is the first in a series of increasingly complex missions that will enable human exploration to the Moon and Mars.  

What is Artemis?

The Artemis program is a series of ongoing space missions run by NASA to build a long-term human presence on the Moon for decades to come. Under Artemis, NASA will send new lunar science instruments and technology to study the Moon and establish a long-term lunar presence and a station called Gateway for a habitable Moon base.

What happens next?

The completion of the successful Artemis 1 Orion capsule flight sets the stage for a series of milestones. Artemis 1 was an uncrewed test flight completed on December 11. Artemis 2, which will come sometime in 2024, will be a crewed flight that will take four astronauts the furthest they’ve ever been in space. Artemis 3 mission is expected to return humans to the surface of the moon for the first time by 2026.

That would be followed by a two-person lunar landing as early as 2025 and a sustainable moon base. The long-term plan is to have humans active on the moon before 2030 with habitats to live in and rovers to support their work.