NASA’s Orion spacecraft snaps selfie on trip to far side of the moon

November 25, 2022 at 8:43 am EST

Orion approaches moon Orion is approaching the moon ahead of our powered flyby maneuver during which we'll pass within 80 miles (130 km) of the lunar surface. (NASA /Flickr.com)

November 25, 2022 at 8:43 am EST

(HIGH EARTH ORBIT) — CNN reports that NASA’s released a snapshot taken of the dark side of the moon as its Orion spacecraft settles into its orbit.

Orion, which launched on board the Artemis I rocket November 16, is equipped with life support systems for human crew. Although it’s unmanned in this mission, it’s still the furthest a capsule rated for humans has ever traveled from Earth.

As of Thursday, the capsule was 222,993 miles (358,972 kilometers) from Earth and 55,819 miles (89,831 kilometers) from the Moon, traveling at just over 2,600 miles per hour, according to NASA.

After lapping the moon, the Orion capsule is expected to turn back toward Earth and splash down in the Pacific Ocean on December 11.