Orion spacecraft sets historic achievement after reaching retrograde orbit of the Moon

The Orion spacecraft was able to perform its intended maneuver and successfully entered a far retrograde orbit around the Moon, setting a historical record in the process.

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The achievement of Lockheed Martin's capsule is that Orion was able to travel farther from Earth than any other spacecraft that can carry a crew. Yes, the ship flies around a satellite without people on board, but that's a different story.

Entering a retrograde orbit, which is beyond the Lagrange points, Orion moved 54,000 kilometers away from the Moon. The capsule's engines ran for 1 minute and 18 seconds to reach its goal. Orion became the first spacecraft in history to enter a stable orbit beyond the Lagrangian points.

The capsule will not traverse the entire retrograde orbit. Orion will only be able to go halfway until December 1, after which it will perform a gravitational maneuver and begin moving toward Earth. The capsule has to descend for the moon's gravity to push it toward Earth.

Orion will dock in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California on December 11. But before that, it will complete another mission. The spacecraft will enter Earth's atmosphere at high speed, so the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is using an enhanced heat shield for the first time since the Apollo lunar program.

Source: New Atlas