Artemis II was launched on Thursday.
In a major leap for human spaceflight, NASA’s Artemis 2 mission successfully executed a dangerous engine burn late Thursday, sending its crew out of Earth’s orbit and headed toward the moon.The lunar injection took place about 25 hours after liftoff, putting three American astronauts and one Canadian on track to fly by the moon early next week. The Orion spacecraft left Earth’s orbit exactly as planned, beginning its nearly 400,000 km journey into deep space.
NASA official Lori Glaze said: “This is the first time since 1972, during Apollo 17, that humans have left Earth’s orbit,” stressing that the maneuver was flawless.Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen described the crew as being “glued to the windows,” mesmerized by the shrinking view of Earth and its expanse beyond. “It is an extraordinary sight,” he said, describing the mission as a reflection of humanity’s common ambition.
After spending a day in Earth orbit testing life support systems, the crew was cleared to advance toward the Moon. The mission represents a critical step in NASA’s long-term goal of establishing a sustainable human presence on the moon.
Commander Reed Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and Hansen will orbit the moon before returning to Earth, without landing. During the mission, they are expected to travel farther from Earth than any human before, surpassing the record set during Apollo 13 in 1970, and could also set a new speed record during reentry on April 10.
The flight is already historic: Glover, Koch, and Hansen are the first black astronaut, the first woman, and the first non-American to travel to the moon — marking a major shift from the all-male, all-white Apollo-era crews.Mission Control set the tone with a musical wake-up call before giving final clearance for engine burn, describing the flight as “humanity’s return to the moon.” The spacecraft now follows a free return trajectory, using the gravity of the Earth and the Moon to complete its figure-of-eight path.The next event will come with a flyby on Monday, when Orion will pass within about 6,400 kilometers of the moon, providing rare views of its far side.
Astronauts are also expected to witness a total solar eclipse from space.Despite this achievement, the mission was not without minor hiccups. A malfunction in the spacecraft’s toilet system required improvised repairs, while cold temperatures in the cabin forced the crew to bundle up. Engineers also addressed the water dispenser problem by instructing astronauts to fill spare storage bags with drinking water.NASA hopes Artemis 2 will pave the way for future lunar landings, including a planned manned mission to the moon later this decade, marking the beginning of a new era of human exploration beyond Earth.
