Artemis II Clears Earth Orbit; Astronauts Head Toward the Moon
Key Takeaways
- Artemis II launched successfully from Cape Canaveral with four astronauts aboard Orion.
- Orion performed translunar injection engine burn, leaving Earth orbit toward the Moon.
- The mission lasts about ten days, looping around the Moon.
Translunar Injection Burn
Artemis II executed a nearly six-minute translunar injection burn.
NASA described the maneuver as flawless.
The four astronauts began a 10-day mission flying around the far side of the Moon and back.
Distance and Tracking
The crew was more than 70,000 miles away from Earth the morning after launch.
NASA's AROW lets the public track the spacecraft in real time.
The spacecraft was on a free-return trajectory that won't require another major propulsion burn.
Crew Reactions and Observations
Wiseman described the view of Earth as spectacular.
“Artemis II successfully launches four astronauts into space NASA has successfully launched the Artemis II mission, marking the first crewed mission to the moon’s vicinity since the Apollo programme ended in 1972”
Koch said nothing prepares you for seeing Earth glowing brightly against space.
The crew began settling into routines aboard Orion.
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