NASA’s Orion Capsule Enters Far-Flung Orbit Around Moon

This image provided by NASA shows flight Day 9 imagery that NASA's Orion spacecraft captured looking back at the Earth from a camera mounted on one of its solar arrays. NASA via AP

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—NASA’s Orion capsule entered an orbit stretching tens of thousands of miles around the moon Friday, as it neared the halfway mark of its test flight.

The capsule and its three test dummies entered lunar orbit more than a week after launching on the $4 billion demo that’s meant to pave the way for astronauts. It will remain in this broad but stable orbit for nearly a week, completing just half a lap before heading home.