The Artemis II Orion capsule carrying four astronauts successfully departed Earth’s orbit Thursday evening, setting course for the moon after completing a critical engine burn, NASA said.
The maneuver, known as the trans-lunar injection burn, propelled the spacecraft to about 25,000 miles (40,233 kilometers) per hour, allowing it to escape Earth’s gravitational pull and begin a four-day journey toward the moon.
At approximately 7:50 p.m. EDT (2350 GMT), Orion’s Orbital Maneuvering System engine ignited for nearly six minutes as the spacecraft passed through the lowest point of its elliptical orbit. The burn effectively slingshotted the capsule onto its lunar trajectory.
NASA mission managers had approved the burn earlier in the day after reviewing what officials described as near-flawless performance by the spacecraft and its systems.
“Hey, just to make it clear in the open here, we are go for TLI after the MMT concluded their deliberations a few minutes ago,” the mission’s lead flight director said.
A Canadian astronaut aboard the spacecraft welcomed the milestone, saying the crew was “looking forward to accelerating back to the moon.”
The Artemis II mission launched Wednesday from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking NASA’s first crewed mission toward the moon in more than 50 years.
The Space Launch System rocket carried the Orion capsule and its crew, three Americans and one Canadian, safely into orbit. The mission is expected to last about 10 days and includes a lunar flyby aimed at testing critical systems for future human exploration of deep space.