The Orion spacecraft, launched as part of the Artemis I mission, has begun to leave lunar orbit. This is reported by NASA.

“Orion began its journey to Earth, launching its engine on December 1 to leave an orbit located thousands of miles above the surface Moon,” the US space agency said in a press release.

It is noted that “engineers have tested the systems to improve understanding of the operation of the spacecraft in anticipation of future missions with astronauts on board.”

The next launch of the Orion propulsion system is scheduled for December 5, when the craft will be 126.7 kilometers above the surface of the Moon.

In November, NASA reported that Orion performed a maneuver to enter a far retrograde orbit around the Moon.

In the same month, the US space agency showed the rising Earth captured by the Orion spacecraft.