Earthset as Orion Prepares for Outbound Powered Flyby

The Earth is seen setting from the far side of the Moon

just beyond the Orion spacecraft in this video taken on

the sixth day of the Artemis I mission by a camera on

the tip of one of Orion's solar arrays. The spacecraft

was preparing for the Outbound Powered Flyby

maneuver which would bring it within 80 miles of the

lunar surface, the closest approach of the uncrewed

Artemis I mission, before moving into a distant

retrograde orbit around the Moon. The spacecraft

entered the lunar sphere of influence Sunday, Nov. 20,

making the Moon, instead of Earth, the main

gravitational force acting on the spacecraft.

Earth gracefully sets from the Moon's far side during the sixth day of the Artemis I mission. 🚀 Orion, positioned just beyond the lunar horizon, readies itself for the Outbound Powered Flyby, a pivotal maneuver bringing it within 80 miles of the lunar surface. 🌕 This marked the closest approach in the uncrewed Artemis I mission, as the spacecraft transitioned into a distant retrograde orbit around the Moon. 🌑 On November 20, the spacecraft entered the lunar sphere of influence, with the Moon now exerting its gravitational pull as the primary force, steering Artemis I on its celestial journey.