SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — NASA’s Orion unmanned spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean this weekend after a journey to the moon that is part of the agency’s Artemis program.
Here are some facts you should know about the Orion capsule's landing:
What is the Artemis program?
The Artemis program is an initiative by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) to send humans back to the moon and, eventually, to Mars.
The program is named Artemis after the Greek goddess and twin sister of Apollo -- the Greek god of the sun and light that inspired NASA’s Apollo mission in the 1960s and 70s.
Under the program, there will be three Artemis missions:
- Artemis I is an unmanned spacecraft flight to the moon and back to Earth
- Artemis II is described as a 10-day mission that involves a spacecraft carrying four astronauts to the moon. A capsule is expected to travel about 4,600 miles beyond the far side of the moon to conduct numerous tests and other tasks, according to NASA. The agency is hopeful of a 2024 launch for Artemis II.
- Artemis III is a mission expected to be green-lit for 2025 and it will include a crew that will touch down on the moon’s surface. NASA said the first woman to set foot on the moon will be among the crew members.
Humans have not been back to the moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.
Artemis I: Orion’s journey
The Space Launch System rocket carrying the unmanned Orion spacecraft was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 16, 2022.
It took five days for the Orion capsule to reach the moon, and on Nov. 21, it flew within 80 miles of the moon’s surface.
After another close flyby of the moon on Dec. 5, preparations began for Orion to return to Earth on Sunday, Dec. 11.
Dec. 11 splashdown
NASA officials said Orion, after completing necessary engine burns to place itself in the proper trajectory, would come back to Earth with the help of the planet’s gravitational pull on Dec. 11.
The capsule is expected to hit the Pacific Ocean, off the coast Baja California, at around 9:40 a.m. Pacific time.
Initially, Orion was set to land in the waters off the San Diego coast, but NASA officials — citing concerns over weather conditions — decided on Dec. 8 to move the splashdown location further south to an area dozens of miles off Guadalupe Island.
Changing of the splashdown site won’t impact the retrieval of Orion, NASA officials added. The San Diego-based USS Portland, with a NASA recovery team onboard, will be at the landing location ahead of the Dec. 11 splashdown.
Program cost
Each Artemis mission will reportedly cost more than $4 billion. The entire program, through 2025, is expected to cost $93 billion.
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