US EditionArtemis II is officially headed to the moon after test orbit around the Earth
The six-minute burn gives Orion about 6,000 pounds of thrust and sends the four astronauts on a lunar flyby test.
- On Thursday, April 2, Commander Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Astronaut Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency completed a critical translunar injection burn, committing Artemis II to a lunar trajectory less than 24 hours after launching from Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
- This historic 10-day mission marks the first time humans have left Earth orbit since Apollo in 1972. NASA designed the flight to test life-support systems and orbital procedures, paving the way for crewed lunar landings by 2028.
- Astronauts addressed minor operational challenges early in the flight, fixing a malfunctioning toilet that Koch called "the most important piece of equipment on board" and adjusting the cold cabin temperature. The crew began daily fitness routines on Orion's compact flywheel exercise device.
- Using a free-return trajectory, the spacecraft will harness the Moon's gravity to slingshot around the satellite before returning to Earth without additional propulsion. The crew is scheduled to reach the lunar sphere of influence and conduct a historic flyby on Monday, April 6.
- Scheduled for a return on April 10, the crew will splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, completing the 10-day mission. Results will inform NASA's 2028 lunar landing plans and lay groundwork for future Mars exploration.
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287 Articles
The Orion spacecraft of the Artemis-2 mission left Earth orbit and went to the Moon and reported to NASA.
The four astronauts of the Artemis II mission have left Earth orbit this Friday and have already set course for the Moon. NASA has reported that the Orion spacecraft has successfully completed the key ignition of the main engine after gaining the necessary momentum for the journey into Earth orbit. The human being will fly the Moon again for the first time in more than 50 years. The translunar injection maneuver, the ignition of the engine of th…
Artemis II Leaves Earth's Orbit and Begins Journey to the Moon
The crew of Artemis II have left Earth’s orbit and are now continuing to make their historic journey towards the moon. Over the next few days, they’ll prepare for their fly-by that will bring them within about 4,000 to 6,000 miles of the lunar surface, allowing them to see parts of the moon never seen before by human eyes. NBC’s Tom Costello reports for TODAY.
Artemis II astronauts leave Earth’s orbit, set course for the moon
The Artemis II Orion capsule, carrying a crew of three men and one woman, successfully left Earth’s orbit Thursday evening and set course for the moon. This came just hours after NASA’s mission managers approved the Artemis II crew for a key engine burn, according to CBS News. Around 7:50pm EDT (0450PKT), the shuttle-era Orbital Manoeuvring System engine, located at the base of Orion’s service module, ignited for nearly six minutes as the spacec…
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