Hours after it launched from the Kennedy Space Centre in Cape Canaveral lighting up the night sky, the Artemis-1 rocket delivered the Orion spacecraft in the vacuum of space as Nasa wheeled it on a path to the Moon. Engineers successfully completed trans-lunar injection as Orion separated from the interim cryogenic propulsion stage.
The 18-minute-long burn saw the Orion fire up its auxiliary thrusters to move a safe distance away from the expended stage as the spacecraft went on its way to the Moon. "Trans-lunar injection burn complete! Orion is on its way to the Moon! Thanks to ICPS, SLS's upper stage, for the push to get us on our way," Nasa’s Associate Administrator for Exploration Systems Development Jim Free said.
The intermediate cryogenic propulsion stage burned for 20 seconds to raise the lowest point of Orion's Earth orbit before to the trans-lunar injection. The perigee increase manoeuvre was accomplished successfully, showcasing the mission's engineering expertise as it started its arduous trip toward the Moon.
The Space Launch System rocket roared aloft after years of delays and billions in cost overruns, rising from Kennedy Space Center on 4 million kg of thrust and reaching 160 kph in a matter of seconds. Less than two hours into the flight, the Orion capsule, which was perched atop, broke away from the Earth's orbit and headed towards the moon.
The crew capsule will be pushed into a wide orbit around the moon and then return to Earth with a Pacific splashdown in December if everything goes according to plan during the three-week, make-or-break shakedown voyage.
As @NASA_Orion begins the #Artemis I mission to the Moon, the spacecraft captured these stunning views of our home planet. pic.twitter.com/Pzk3PDt7sd
— NASA Artemis (@NASAArtemis) November 16, 2022
The rocket's frustrating fuel leaks kept it hopping between its hangar and the launch pad for over three months before the moonshot. The rocket held its footing outside as Nicole swept past last week after Hurricane Ian drove it back inside at the end of September.
The NASA Artemis lunar exploration programme, named after Apollo's mythical twin sister, officially began with the liftoff. The next mission, scheduled for 2024, will carry four men around the moon, with the possibility of a 2025 landing.
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