Deep Space Milestone:
Orion Enters Lunar Gravity Zone, Breaks Apollo 13 Distance Record
The Orion spacecraft of the historic Artemis-2 mission has entered the Moon’s “sphere of influence,” meaning that the Moon’s gravity is now exerting a greater effect on Orion than Earth’s gravity. This transition occurred four days, six hours, and two minutes into the mission, at a distance of 39,000 miles from the Moon. Tomorrow, Orion will pass behind the far side of the Moon—an area never before reached in human history.
The astronauts have now entered the most critical phase of the mission. The four astronauts aboard Orion—Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Jeremy Hansen—are currently orbiting the Moon. They have already surpassed the record set by the Apollo 13 astronauts. Apollo 13 had traveled a maximum distance of 248,655 miles from Earth, while Artemis-2 is set to exceed that, reaching 252,757 miles.
As Orion travels around the Moon tomorrow, the astronauts will conduct approximately six hours of observation. During this period, when the spacecraft moves behind the Moon, communication with Earth will be temporarily lost.
NASA has stated that Orion’s closest approach to the Moon will be at a distance of 4,066 miles, occurring at 7:02 PM local time (5:02 AM Bangladesh time). From that position, the astronauts will be able to observe the entire lunar disk, including both the northern and southern polar regions. Prior to that, they are expected to witness a solar eclipse lasting nearly one hour.
The four astronauts are now en route around the Moon, and the world is closely watching the most critical moments of their journey.
DBTech/BMT/OR
