Artemis II astronauts begin journey to the Moon

The four astronauts aboard NASA’s Artemis II mission have officially left Earth’s orbit, marking a major milestone in humanity’s return to deep space exploration. The Orion spacecraft successfully fired its main engine in a critical manoeuvre known as translunar injection, sending the crew on a path toward the Moon.

The engine burn, which lasted nearly six minutes, was described as flawless by mission officials. Following the successful push, the crew confirmed they were in good condition as they continued their journey into deep space.

Artemis II is now following a looping trajectory that will take the astronauts around the far side of the Moon and safely back to Earth. This mission marks the first time since 1972 that humans have travelled beyond Earth’s orbit, highlighting a historic step forward in space exploration.

Artemis II astronauts head toward Moon after successful engine burn

Before the final engine burn, the Orion capsule spent about a day in high Earth orbit, allowing engineers to conduct detailed checks of its systems, including navigation, propulsion and life-support. Once all systems were confirmed to be functioning properly, mission control gave the final approval to proceed.

The spacecraft has now gained immense speed, carrying the crew farther from Earth than any humans have travelled in decades. At its peak, Orion is expected to go thousands of kilometres beyond the Moon before gravity redirects it back toward Earth.

Despite the complexity of the mission, NASA officials emphasised that multiple contingency plans are in place. In case of any emergency, the spacecraft can still return to Earth through carefully planned manoeuvres.

As the mission progresses, astronauts will witness extraordinary views, including Earth shrinking into the distance and the Moon appearing larger. The mission also includes a rare opportunity to observe a total solar eclipse from space, adding to its scientific and symbolic significance.