Artemis II Crew Embarks on Lunar Journey After Successful Engine Burn

NASA's Artemis II mission has successfully initiated its journey toward the Moon following a critical engine burn that propelled the Orion spacecraft out of Earth's orbit.

On April 2, 2026, at 7:49 p.m. EDT, the Orion spacecraft's main engine fired for nearly six minutes, achieving the velocity necessary to escape Earth's gravitational pull. This maneuver, known as the translunar injection (TLI) burn, set the spacecraft on a trajectory toward the Moon.

The Artemis II crew comprises NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. This mission marks the first time humans have ventured beyond low Earth orbit since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.

Following the TLI burn, the crew is on a free-return trajectory, which will carry them around the far side of the Moon and back to Earth without additional major engine firings. The mission is expected to last approximately 10 days, with a planned splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on April 10, 2026.

This mission serves as a critical test flight, demonstrating NASA's capability to send astronauts into deep space and laying the groundwork for future lunar exploration missions, including plans to return humans to the lunar surface by 2028.