“Artemis” moon mission: “Orion” capsule back on earth

The US space agency NASA reports a success: The unmanned “Orion” capsule – it is part of the “Artemis” moon mission – is back on earth. The capsule landed in the Pacific off the coast of Mexico in the evening and is now being taken to the USA.

After several weeks in space, the unmanned “Orion” capsule of NASA’s “Artemis 1” moon mission has returned safely to Earth. She landed in the Pacific off the coast of Mexico in the evening, as shown in live images from the US space agency NASA. With the help of specialists, divers and boats, the space capsule is now to be brought to the port of San Diego. The mission is considered an important step in getting humans back on the moon. Even before landing, NASA boss Bill Nelson had described the “Artemis” test mission as an “extraordinary success”.

“Artemis 1” was launched – after cost explosions and repeated postponements – on November 16 with the “Space Launch System” rocket from the Cape Canaveral cosmodrome in the US state of Florida. All of the planned milestones of the mission were then successfully completed over a period of about four weeks: flyby the moon, entered the moon’s orbit, swung out of the moon’s orbit, another moon flyby – and finally the safe landing on earth. The European Space Agency ESA and space agencies from several other countries are also involved in “Artemis”.

Again manned moon landings planned

With the “Artemis” program, named after the Greek goddess of the moon, US astronauts are to land on the moon again in the coming years, including a woman for the first time. A first manned flight (“Artemis 2”) around the moon is to be followed by another manned flight including a moon landing (“Artemis 3”). NASA had brought the last people to the moon in 1972 with the “Apollo 17” mission. Overall, the United States was the only country to date to land twelve astronauts on the moon with the “Apollo” missions between 1969 and 1972.