France, April 6 -- As of early Monday, the Orion spacecraft crossed into what scientists call the Moon's "sphere of influence" - the point at which lunar gravity begins to exert a stronger pull than Earth's.

This quiet but significant milestone signals that the crew are now firmly under the Moon's gravitational sway, setting the stage for a dramatic loop around our celestial neighbour. In doing so, they are preparing to travel farther from Earth than any human has ever ventured.

At around 04h42 UT, the spacecraft was approximately 39,000 miles from the Moon and 232,000 miles from Earth, according to NASA officials.

The upcoming flyby will be the first time humans have passed close to the Moon since 1972, marking a return to deep space ...