NASA’s Artemis II crew executed a critical engine burn to depart Earth orbit and begin the translunar coast toward the Moon. The successful translunar injection put four astronauts — three Americans and a Canadian — on course for the first crewed lunar flyby since Apollo 17 in 1972. Mission Control in Houston reported a “good burn.”
The maneuver came about 25 hours after the Space Launch System rocket launched the Orion capsule from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen relayed his reaction roughly 10 minutes after the firing: “We are getting just a beautiful view of the dark side of the Earth lit by the moon right now. Phenomenal.” He said the crew was riveted to the capsule windows as they left Earth and added that the flight reflected “what we are capable of” and the hopes that propel the mission.
With this final major thruster firing complete, Orion will ride celestial mechanics for much of the remaining mission. On their first day in space, the astronauts tested cameras, practiced manual steering of the spacecraft and addressed minor technical issues — including a small toilet malfunction and temporary email problems, both of which were fixed.
The roughly 10-day mission will carry the crew to about 252,000 miles (406,000 kilometers) from Earth, exceeding the distance reached by Apollo 13 in 1970 and representing the farthest humans have traveled. The flight will send the spacecraft about 4,000 miles (6,400 kilometers) beyond the lunar far side before the crew turns for the return trip to Earth; it does not include a lunar landing.
Artemis II is the first crewed flight of NASA’s new SLS rocket and serves as a shakedown for the Orion deep-space vehicle, gathering data and experience needed for a piloted lunar landing targeted for 2028 and for future missions to Mars. The mission also marks several firsts: the crew includes the first Black astronaut, the first woman and the first non-American to participate in a lunar mission.
Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen will carry out system checks, observations and other objectives that will help shape subsequent Artemis missions as humanity returns to lunar vicinity for the first time in more than half a century.