The Orion manned spacecraft, carrying four NASA astronauts, has been successfully launched into Earth orbit, the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration announced .
The launch took place at 6:35 PM (1:35 AM Moscow time Thursday) on April 1st from the Cape Canaveral launch pad in Florida. The SLS rocket launched Orion into low-Earth orbit approximately eight minutes after liftoff. After 25 hours, the spacecraft will ignite its own engines, increasing its speed to 11 kilometers per second and propelling it toward the Moon. Closest approach to our planet's natural satellite is expected in five days. Orion will orbit the Moon once before returning to Earth, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean. The mission will last 10 days.
The launch took place at 6:35 PM (1:35 AM Moscow time Thursday) on April 1st from the Cape Canaveral launch pad in Florida. The SLS rocket launched Orion into low-Earth orbit approximately eight minutes after liftoff. After 25 hours, the spacecraft will ignite its own engines, increasing its speed to 11 kilometers per second and propelling it toward the Moon. Closest approach to our planet's natural satellite is expected in five days. Orion will orbit the Moon once before returning to Earth, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean. The mission will last 10 days.