Overview
- Orion, which performed its translunar injection Thursday, left Earth orbit and began the multiday cruise to the Moon.
- By Saturday, NASA tracking showed the crew about halfway there on an accurate course that let engineers skip the first planned trajectory tweak.
- Teams are finalizing a targeted plan for a far‑side flyby on Monday so the astronauts can photograph key lunar terrain and practice observations during a brief communications blackout.
- NASA released the mission’s first photos of Earth from deep space, and the four astronauts reported good health as they described the full‑disk view as stunning.
- The flight follows a free‑return arc that loops behind the Moon and brings Orion back for a planned Pacific splashdown near San Diego next week as a rehearsal for future landings.