After a 25.5-day space trip, the NASA Orion spacecraft has now returned to Earth.

CTOnews.com, December 12 (Xinhua)-- the NASA Space launch system (SLS) launched the Orion spacecraft at 14:47 on November 16, Beijing time. The mission, called Artemis 1, is an unmanned test mission around the moon, preparing for the follow-up of Artemis 2 and Artemis 3.

After 25.5 days and 1.4 million miles in space, the Orion unmanned spacecraft splashed down near Guadalupe Island near the California peninsula at around 01:40 Beijing time, marking the success of NASA's landmark Artemis one mission, and the next Artemis Ⅱ will be the beginning of a manned mission.

It is reported that during the lunar mission, the Orion spacecraft reached within 60 miles of the moon and reached the farthest point in space nearly 270,000 miles (435000 kilometers) from Earth.

According to reports, the Orion capsule reached a speed of about 24500 miles per hour when it entered the Earth's atmosphere, and its heat shield withstood a temperature of about 5000 degrees Fahrenheit, which cannot be simulated on Earth. this also verifies its reliability as a manned spacecraft.

When it reached an altitude of about 24000 feet above the ground, the capsule deployed its parachute to decelerate, and recovery has now been completed. CTOnews.com learned that NASA also said it would obtain data from the ship's sensor-equipped dummies in order to prepare for future missions involving real people.

"this flight test is an important step in Artemis's lunar exploration program, from launching the world's most powerful rocket to orbiting the moon to returning to Earth," NASA Administrator Bill Nielsen said in a statement. "Today is also a great victory for NASA, the United States, our international partners and all mankind."

The view of Earth captured by the ▲ Orion spacecraft as it began to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere. (source: NASA)