The Orion spacecraft will launch atop the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

As Orion orbits Earth after launch, it will deploy four solar arrays that provide power for the entire spacecraft.

The SLS rocket’s upper stage will give Orion the big push it needs to leave Earth’s orbit and travel toward the Moon.

The Orion spacecraft will separate from the SLS rocket’s upper stage approximately two hours after launch.

As Orion continues on its path to the Moon, it will be propelled by a service module provided by the European Space Agency.

At its closest approach, the Orion spacecraft will fly about 60 miles above the surface of the Moon.

Orion will use the Moon’s gravity to enter a distant retrograde orbit about 40,000 miles past the Moon.

Orion will stay in that orbit for 6+ days to collect data and allow mission controllers to assess its performance.

To return home, Orion will fire its service module and use the Moon’s gravity to accelerate back toward Earth.

Before returning to Earth, Orion’s crew module will separate from the service module.

Orion’s heat shield will protect the crew module as the spacecraft heats up to about 5,000°F reentering Earth’s atmosphere.

Parachutes will slow Orion down to a safe speed of about 20mph for splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, completing the mission!