Artemis II leaves Earth's orbit on track for far side of the Moon

The mission's last, big push on its lunar journey takes humans out of the Earth's orbit for the first time since 1972.

NASA's Artemis II mission successfully initiated its journey toward the Moon, marking the first time since 1972 that humans have left Earth's orbit. The crew includes NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen.

The Artemis II mission's Orion capsule left Earth's orbit, beginning a four-day journey toward the Moon. This marks the first time in over 50 years that humans have traveled beyond Earth's orbit.

NASA's Artemis II mission successfully completed the translunar injection burn, propelling the Orion spacecraft and its crew on a trajectory toward the Moon, marking the first crewed journey beyond Earth's orbit since the Apollo era.

The Artemis II astronauts successfully completed the translunar injection burn, propelling the Orion spacecraft on a trajectory toward the Moon. This marks the first time in over 50 years that humans have left Earth's orbit.