NASA 's Orion craft has performed an important 'departure burn' as it heads home from its journey through space.
The hi-tech capsule passed by the moon on its way back to Earth this week after taking part in a historic 15-day mission which included inserting itself into the Moon's orbit.
A video shown on a NASA livestream on Thursday evening showed the unmanned ship firing up its jets for around one minute and 45 seconds before successfully manoeuvring to its return course.
In the clip, shared on the Orion's official Twitter page, Earth could be seen "peeking out" between the solar array panels on the craft.
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NASA/ZUMA Press Wire Service/REX/Shutterstock)The mission is the first part of the space agency's ambitious Artemis I mission, which seeks to establish a crewed base on the south pole of the Moon by the end of the decade.
The Orion ship, which is designed for humans, is manned with a mannequin for its current mission which will measure the impacts of the flight on the body.
During its journey, Orion travelled about 240,000 miles from Earth to the Moon, and then about 40,000 miles beyond the Moon while flying in Distant Retrograde Orbit.
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Uncredited/AP/REX/Shutterstock)Its route was calculated by NASA scientists to assess the potential health impacts of a future journey on astronauts, with a manned Artemis II mission around the Moon expected to launch in May 2024.
Atmospheric re-entry of the Orion capsule is scheduled to take place on December 11.
NASA’s Orion Programme Manager, Howard Hu, recently told BBC ’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that the Artemis I mission is “the first step we’re taking to long-term deep space exploration, for not just the United States but for the world.
Speaking following the launch, she said: “I think this is an historic day for NASA. But it’s also an historic day for all the people who love human space flight and deep space exploration.
“I mean, we are going back to the Moon, we’re working towards a sustainable programme and this is the vehicle that will carry the people that will land us back on the Moon again.”
