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Artemis II Crew Leaves Earth’s Orbit, Sets Course For Moon In Historic Return Since 1972
NASA’s Artemis II astronauts have successfully fired their engines and begun their journey toward the moon, marking humanity’s first departure from Earth orbit since the Apollo era more than five decades ago.
The critical translunar injection burn occurred 25 hours after liftoff on Thursday night, propelling the Orion capsule out of Earth orbit and setting it on a trajectory toward a lunar fly-around scheduled for early next week. The spacecraft is now traveling nearly 250,000 miles (400,000 kilometers) toward the moon with a crew of three Americans and one Canadian on board.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I am so, so excited to be able to tell you that for the first time since 1972 during Apollo 17, human beings have left Earth orbit,” NASA official Lori Glaze said during a news conference, confirming the milestone achievement. She added that the engine firing was “flawless.”
Onboard, the astronauts described an emotional and awe-inspiring moment as Earth receded behind them. Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen said the crew remained transfixed by the view.
“Humanity has once again shown what we are capable of, and it’s your hopes for the future that carry us now on this journey around the moon,” Hansen said.
He added that the experience was so captivating that the crew pressed their faces tightly against the spacecraft windows, repeatedly wiping them clean to take in what he called the “phenomenal” sight of Earth from deep space.
Before committing to the moon-bound trajectory, NASA kept the crew in Earth orbit for about a day to conduct critical tests of the Orion capsule’s life-support systems, ensuring all conditions were safe for the longer journey.
