NASA reports Artemis II is proceeding on schedule after a critical engine firing pushed the crewed Orion capsule out of Earth orbit and onto a lunar trajectory. At about 115 miles above the planet on Thursday evening, one of Orion’s engines burned for 5 minutes and 50 seconds in a translunar injection, freeing the spacecraft from orbital flight and sending it on a path for a lunar flyby — a human journey not attempted in more than 50 years.
Mission commander Reid Wiseman told controllers a few hours after the maneuver that the crew is unmistakably on its way to the moon, calling the achievement a monumental effort to send four people roughly 250,000 miles from Earth. The flight plan will use the moon’s gravity to sling the capsule around the far side and bring it back, with splashdown in the Pacific off San Diego expected in about eight days.
Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen praised the international teamwork behind the mission, saying the flight reflects what humanity can accomplish together and that those shared hopes are carrying the crew around the moon.
Officials say only minor issues have appeared so far. The crew was asked to bag drinking water after a small problem with the water dispensing system, and a cabin-pressurization leak warning briefly sounded before the burn. Ground teams reviewed telemetry and found cabin pressure and temperature stable; flight director Judd Frieling characterized the alert as a false indication. Hansen noted the alarm captured the crew’s attention but did not alter their plans.
NASA planetary scientist Lori Glaze said mission teams are not tracking any concerning problems and reiterated that Artemis II is a test flight meant to exercise spacecraft systems and procedures with people aboard. The goal is to surface and learn from false alarms and anomalies before regular lunar missions resume.
Artemis II carries Wiseman, Hansen, Christina Koch and Victor Glover on a pioneering voyage to reestablish human travel beyond low Earth orbit. As the spacecraft speeds toward the moon, the crew has expressed both disbelief and elation at reaching this major milestone.