A new video published by the agency shows the Orion spacecraft re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere at a speed of 11 kilometers per second, which is 32 times the speed of sound.
The footage was shot as part of the Artemis-1 mission last year and became one of the most impressive of the entire year.
A video posted on the official account of the Orion mission in X this week went viral thanks to an amazing moment of reentry.
One year ago today, NASA’s Orion spacecraft reentered the atmosphere after completing a 1.4 million-mile, 25.5 day #Artemis I mission around the Moon. View the full length video here: https://t.co/0Rn7eRETua pic.twitter.com/gX95N8Kz5J
— Orion Spacecraft (@NASA_Orion) December 11, 2023
The Artemis-1 mission was unmanned and aimed at the Moon in November last year. This was the first test of NASA’s massive space launch system designed to take humans back to the Moon and, in the long term, to Mars. We can also say that the Orion spacecraft, designed for a crew of up to four people, has passed the test.
An important moment was the return of Orion to the Earth’s atmosphere, where it burst into flames, leaving a plasma trail behind. Aerospace engineer Chris Combs explained that the video shows the glare from the burnt pieces of tape and the operation of the engines, and the sudden changes and plumes are the result of the control engines.
As part of the new reentry method, Orion bounces off the atmosphere, allowing NASA to more accurately control the spacecraft’s reentry location. This approach makes it possible to land Orion closer to the coast of the United States, where rescue teams can quickly return the ship to land.
After 25 days in outer space, including six days in lunar orbit, Orion successfully rendezvoused in the Pacific Ocean on December 11, 2022.
The next group of astronauts will board Orion as part of the Artemis II mission scheduled for November 2024.
