Astronauts Embark on Historic Lunar Journey
- Orion spacecraft successfully fires main engine for mission
- Crew members set for a free-return trajectory around the Moon
- Last Apollo mission occurred in 1972, marking a significant gap
The Orion spacecraft has successfully completed a critical milestone, firing its main engine for 5 minutes and 50 seconds, propelling four astronauts towards a free-return trajectory around the Moon. This event signifies a point of no return for the Artemis II crew for over a week.
Remarkably, approximately three-quarters of the global population has never witnessed humans venturing beyond low-Earth orbit, a feat last achieved during the final Apollo mission in 1972.
The "translunar injection" burn occurred a day following the launch from Kennedy Space Center aboard NASA's Space Launch System rocket. This pivotal engine burn positions the crew to circle the Moon before returning to Earth, with a planned splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on April 10.