The Artemis 1 lunar mission's unmanned test flight is designed to ensure the Orion capsule is safe. The orbit is "distant" in that Orion will be "about 40,000 miles (64,000 kilometers) above the moon," Nasa said.

It will take Orion about a week to complete half a moon orbit. After that, the space capsule will de-orbit and return to Earth. The landing in the Pacific Ocean is scheduled for December 11th.

The follow-up mission Artemis 2 should then bring astronauts into a lunar orbit. With Artemis 3, another moon landing should be successful in 2025 at the earliest.