Artemis II crew clears Earth orbit, heads for the moon

NASA astronauts fire engines to boost velocity for lunar journey

Apr. 3, 2026 at 12:22pm

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A bold, abstract painting in soft blues, greens, and grays depicting the intricate orbital patterns and scientific forces guiding the Artemis II spacecraft on its path to the moon, conveying the technical complexity and structural order of this historic mission.The Artemis II mission marks a major milestone in humanity's return to the moon, as the spacecraft's complex orbital mechanics propel it on a journey to the lunar surface.Houston Today

The Artemis II astronauts broke out of Earth orbit and headed for the moon on Thursday, firing their main engine for nearly six minutes to boost the ship's velocity to 24,500 mph, the speed required to escape Earth's gravitational pull. The crew closely monitored the critical 'trans-lunar injection,' or TLI, engine firing, which added 867 mph to their already high orbital velocity.

Why it matters

The Artemis II mission is a crucial test flight for NASA's revamped moon program, demonstrating the Orion crew ferry ship can safely carry astronauts to the moon and back on a regular basis. This sets the stage for future Artemis moon landing missions, with the goal of establishing a U.S. base near the lunar south pole.

The details

Racing through the low point of a highly elliptical orbit, Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen fired the shuttle-era Orbital Maneuvering System engine at the base of the Orion capsule's service module. The engine burn at an altitude of just 115 miles put the Orion on a free-return trajectory that will carry the astronauts around the far side of the moon on Monday before returning them to Earth.

  • The TLI engine burn occurred at 7:49 p.m. EDT.
  • The Artemis II crew is expected to travel farther from Earth than anyone before, reaching a distance of some 252,021 miles as they fly behind the moon on Monday.

The players

Reid Wiseman

Artemis II commander.

Victor Glover

Artemis II astronaut.

Christina Koch

Artemis II astronaut.

Jeremy Hansen

Canadian Artemis II astronaut.

Jared Isaacman

NASA Administrator and architect of the revamped Artemis moon program.

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What they’re saying

“Well, with that successful TLI, the crew's feeling pretty good up here on our way to the moon. We just wanted to communicate to everyone around the planet who's worked to make Artemis possible that we firmly felt the power of your perseverance during every second of that burn. 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.”

— Jeremy Hansen, Artemis II astronaut

“There was a moment, about an hour ago, where mission control Houston reoriented our spacecraft as the sun was setting behind the Earth…but you could see the entire globe from pole to pole, you could see Africa, Europe, and if you looked really close, you could see the Northern Lights, it was the most spectacular moment, and it paused all four of us in our tracks.”

— Reid Wiseman, Artemis II commander

“It's been a long time since we've been back, and I got to tell you, there is nothing normal about this. Sending four humans 250,000 miles away is a Herculean effort, and we are now just realizing the gravity of that.”

— Reid Wiseman, Artemis II commander

What’s next

The Artemis II crew is expected to reach the far side of the moon on Monday and then return to Earth. NASA plans to send up another Orion crew next year to rehearse rendezvous and docking procedures with moon landers in low-Earth orbit.

The takeaway

The successful Artemis II launch and lunar trajectory marks a major milestone in NASA's revamped moon program, demonstrating the capabilities of the Orion spacecraft and setting the stage for future Artemis moon landing missions. This mission underscores humanity's renewed focus on lunar exploration and the technical challenges of sending astronauts farther into space than ever before.