Orion capsule passed within breathing distance of the Moon (VIDEO)  

The test was successful

NASA’s Orion capsule has successfully completed one of the main maneuvers of its maiden voyage, passing within 130 kilometers of the Moon’s surface. Orion performed four engine burns to correct its orbit toward the Moon, and required another burn of two minutes and thirty seconds to escape gravity. At that point the unmanned craft was traveling at a speed of 8,000 km/h and accelerated to an additional 933 km/h when it passed over its lowest flight altitude.

The capsule thus entered orbit around the Moon and will remain there for about a week. During this it will carry out tests on various systems, such as navigation, communications, power and temperature control inside it.

The closest Orion will be to Earth will be on Monday, November 28, with 432,108 kilometers of space separating us from the capsule. The communication stations with the Earth are three in total and make up the Deep Space Network. They are located in California, Madrid and Canberra, allowing uninterrupted communication with Earth as our planet rotates.