Orion spacecraft successfully completed the Artemis I lunar mission, despite damage

Late last year, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) successfully completed the first lunar mission under the Artemis programme. As it turned out, the Orion spacecraft was damaged during the flight, but that didn't stop it from achieving its goals.

Here's What We Know

A Space Launch System (SLS) rocket sent Orion into space in mid-November 2022. The largest spacecraft in history returned to Earth in December of that year and NASA investigated it.

Orion exceeded scientists' expectations. It completed 161 missions during the flight. In addition, the space agency had 21 other missions for Orion during Artemis I, which were also accomplished.

Orion's key objective was a successful landing, which it accomplished successfully. The craft landed at 25km/hr within 4km of the target. At the same time, the maximum permissible deviation was 10 km.

During the inspection, NASA specialists determined that the thermal insulation coating had been damaged. The protective material charred during the return of the spacecraft home. And this did not happen as predicted by the simulation.

The space agency believes that the Artemis II mission will take place as scheduled. It is scheduled for November 2024. The spacecraft, along with the crew on board, will embark on an eight-day voyage around the moon.

Source: space