NASA’s Orion capsule it entered an orbit extending tens of thousands of kilometers around the Moon on Friday the 25th as it approached the halfway point of its test flight.

the capsule and its three mannequins on board entered lunar orbit more than a week after commencing its test flight more than 4,000 million dollars whose goal is to pave the way for astronauts. She will remain in this large but stable orbit for nearly a week, only completing half a lap before heading home.

When the engine started on Friday, the capsule was 380,000 kilometers (238,000 miles) from Earth. It is expected to reach a maximum distance of nearly 270,000 miles (432,000 kilometers) in a matter of days. IS set a new record away for a capsule designed to carry people someday.

“It’s a statistic, but it’s symbolic for what it represents,” said Jim Geffre, an Orion manager in an interview with NASA a few days ago. “It is about challenging ourselves to go further, to stay longer and push the boundaries of what we have already explored.”

NASA considers this flight a dress rehearsal the next flight around the Moon in 2024, which will carry the astronauts. By 2025, there could be a moon landing with astronauts. The last time astronauts visited the moon It happened 50 years ago during Apollo 17.

On Saturday, the spacecraft is expected to soar about 40,000 miles above the Moon, a record for a habitable capsule.

The spacecraft is expected to return to Earth with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean scheduled for December 11.

The success of this mission will determine the future of the Artemis 2 mission, which will take astronauts around the Moon without actually landing, and for Artemis 3, in which humans will finally set foot on the lunar surface.

The photo of the Earth

On Monday, November 21, the Orion capsule was approaching 130 kilometers from the Moon and took an amazing picture of the Earth.

The approach took place while the capsule crew and their three mannequins were on the opposite side of the Moon. Due to a half-hour communication outage, flight controllers in Houston did not know if the critical engine ignition was going well until the capsule left the Moon, approximately 370,000 kilometers (232,000 miles) from land.

The capsule’s cameras returned an image of the world: a small blue sphere surrounded by darkness.

“Our pale blue dot and its 8 billion people are now in sight,” said Mission Control commentator Sandra Jones.

The capsule accelerated to more than 5,000 miles per hour (8,000 kilometers per hour) when it regained radio contact, NASA said. Less than an hour later, Orion lifted over Tranquility Base, where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon on July 20, 1969.

With information from the AP and AFP