Where is the Orion Spacecraft Now?

Orion spacecraft is scheduled to land in the Pacific Ocean off California this week. It should gradually slow from its fast initial speed of 25,000 mph before its parachutes open and it glides toward water.

NASA is developing Artemis II – an improved, crew-capable version of Orion currently under development at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A rocket capable of launching it has also been identified and development work is progressing on this front.

The Spacecraft is in the Pacific Ocean

NASA’s spacecraft Orion has safely touched down in the Pacific Ocean after traveling for approximately six hours from space. Enough time for NASA technicians to conduct comprehensive heat shield tests as well as gather vital information.

On its journey back home, Orion will use a deceleration technique known as “skip reentry” to slow its descent. This involves slowly and carefully skipping downward and backward until entering Earth’s atmosphere for its final plunge homeward.

The crew of USS Portland, a Navy amphibious transport ship, and a recovery team led by NASA are on board to secure Orion for its return journey back to Kennedy Space Center. This includes sailors and marines from both services as well as technicians from NASA and Lockheed Martin technicians. In addition, they are readying themselves to unload its manikins – including its iconic Snoopy figure – that will undergo months of tests to ensure astronauts’ safety on future missions.

The Spacecraft is in the Indian Ocean

Nasa’s new spacecraft, Orion, made its maiden voyage around the Moon and back before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean for its final test mission – one which will help prepare it to carry astronauts on trips to Mars in future missions.

Orion completed an historic 25-day mission during which it successfully performed a lunar flyby and engine burn to enter far retrograde lunar orbit; breaking records for distance traveled by human spacecraft capsules; and set an all-time farthest distance traveled record by an Orion flight test capsule known as Artemis 1. This major milestone for NASA represents their billions invested in their Space Launch System and Orion programs to return humans back to the Moon – with hopes that someday Mars might even be accessible again.

Once Orion hit the water, crews aboard USS Portland quickly responded by using its winch to pull it into its well deck, where it would remain secure until ready for transport back to Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The Spacecraft is in the Atlantic Ocean

On November 19th, Orion’s crew witnessed one of the sun’s more intense flares – providing an invaluable test of radiation protection – before sending back stunning photographs of both Earth and moon from its journey homeward.

The spacecraft utilized its Orbital Maneuvering System engine to perform a maneuver known as distant retrograde insertion, sending it on a wide, swooping orbit that came within 130 kilometers of the lunar surface – marking its farthest journey without docking with any space station.

Orion successfully deployed its main parachutes on time and splashed down approximately 300 miles off Mexico near Baja Peninsula. A Navy ship has arrived to pick it up before ferrying it off to Naval Base San Diego for inspections and analysis by engineers, particularly with regards to how well its heat shield repelled reentry abrasions while engineers will also examine how well its CubeSats performed that were attached to Orion’s stage adapter ring.

The Spacecraft is in the Arctic Ocean

On December 11th, Orion returned to Earth safely by splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off Baja California, Mexico. As it entered Earth’s atmosphere, its crew module and service module separated, with temperatures reaching as high as 5,000F at times due to heat shield temperatures of its largest ever flown heat shield and parachutes slowed its descent from 25,000mph to 20mph before impact with water.

After its long journey, the capsule used its star trackers to locate Armstrong Test Facility in Ohio where engineers will conduct months-long space environmental testing to ensure its crew will remain protected during launch and flight.

Orion will launch its next mission in 2025 and transport astronauts around the Moon and deeper into space for what will mark humanity’s first voyage beyond low-Earth orbit.