Washington: NASA’s unmanned Orion spacecraft has broken the previous record set in 1970 by the astronauts of the failed Apollo 13 Moon landing mission.
During the Artemis I mission, the unmanned Orion spacecraft from NASA travelled the furthest from Earth: 268,563 miles (432,210).
The previous record was established during the Apollo 13 mission, which was 400,171 kilometres (248,655 miles) from Earth.
NASA released a statement late on Monday saying, “The spacecraft also captured photos of Earth and the Moon together throughout the day, including of the Moon appearing to eclipse Earth.”
Soon, the spacecraft will use the Moon’s gravitational pull once more, together with a precisely planned lunar flyby burn, to hurl Orion back toward Earth in preparation for its December 11 splashdown in the Pacific.
The systems needed for astronauts to survive and breathe in outer space will be put to the test during the Artemis II mission.
The equipment needed for astronauts to survive and breathe in outer space will be put to the test during the Artemis II mission.