Artemis II mission leaves Earth orbit and heads toward the moon

NASA says Artemis II performed a translunar engine burn about 25 hours after liftoff, putting the Orion capsule on a free-return path to a lunar flyby expected Monday.

NASA's Artemis II test flight left Earth orbit after a planned engine firing on Thursday night, putting the mission on course for a trip around the moon. The translunar ignition occurred roughly 25 hours after liftoff and accelerated the Orion capsule out of Earth orbit. Four astronauts — three Americans and one Canadian — are aboard for the mission, which is a crewed test meant to evaluate systems ahead of future lunar operations. Mission Control and the crew reported the engine firing was successful and the team is proceeding with the planned timeline. Known details: - The translunar ignition took place about 25 hours after launch and accelerated the spacecraft out of Earth orbit. - Four astronauts (three Americans and one Canadian) are aboard the Orion capsule. - The spacecraft is on a free-return lunar trajectory that will send it around the moon and back to Earth. - The mission is scheduled to make a lunar flyby on Monday, passing roughly 4,000 miles beyond the moon. - Orion experienced a toilet malfunction after reaching orbit; the crew used contingency urine bags and Mission Control had them fill additional bags with water because of a valve issue with the capsule's dispenser. Summary: The translunar burn commits Artemis II to a planned lunar flyby that will test crewed systems and provide views of the lunar far side before the return leg. The mission will inform later Artemis operations, and the next major milestone is the lunar flyby expected on Monday.