A key milestone has been reached on the US space agency's demonstration mission.
It moved over 270,000 miles beyond the Earth on Monday, which is the furthest any spaceship has traveled.
If the current flight goes well, astronauts will be on the next outing in two years' time.
A series of more complex missions is being planned by NASA.
The agency wants to return people to the moon after 50 years.
It is the middle point of the mission.
Nasa's Artemis mission manager said that the halfway point teaches them to number their days.
The halfway point gives us an opportunity to step back and look at what our margins are and where we could be a little smarter to buy down risk.
The Moon moved in front of the Earth just before it reached the record distance.
The capsule was launched from Florida's Kennedy Space Center on 16 November on a 26 day mission to make sure it is safe to carry astronauts.
The European Space Agency is providing a service module that is being used to push the spaceship through space. This vehicle has the necessary equipment to make maneuvers.
Two key engine burns were delivered by the Esa module last week to get Orion into a big loop around the Moon.
The path goes from the Moon's surface to the lunar body in the opposite direction.
The capsule needs to be put on the correct path in the coming days.
The craft is going to make a splash in the ocean off San Diego.
The performance so far has delighted the controllers. The Esa module has used less fuel than anticipated. It's generated more power than anticipated and is very thrifty with its energy use.
"None of the anomalies, or funnies, that are out there are of consequence", said Mr Sara finan.
The Apollo-13 mission set a new record for the farthest point reached by a human-rated vehicle.
The crew had to navigate their way home after an explosion in the service module.
One of the manikins on board is named Commander Moonikin Campos in honor of a Nasa engineer who helped to get Apollo 13 back.
The Artemis mission is scheduled to take place late in the 20th century. There is a chance that astronauts could go down to the lunar surface in the early 20th century.
Bill Nelson stated that Artemis builds on Apollo.
Artemis is paving the way to live and work in deep space in a hostile environment, to invent, to create, and ultimately to go on with humans to Mars.
The rocket blasts off.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
