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.
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Notable Quotes
"Humanity has once again shown what we are capable of."
— Jeremy Hansen , Other
"You can see the entire globe from pole to pole... It was the most spectacular moment and it paused all four of us in our tracks."
— Reid Wiseman , Other
"The engine burn went flawlessly."
— Lori Glaze , Executive
"What a great couple of days!"
— Howard Hu , Executive
"Today, for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972, humans have departed Earth orbit."
— Dr. Lori Glaze , Executive
"We personally felt the power of your perseverance through every second of that burn."
— Jeremy Hansen , Other
"With this burn to the moon, we do not leave Earth. We choose it."
— Christina Koch , Other
"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."
— Jeremy Hansen , Other
"It was the most spectacular moment, and it paused all four of us in our tracks."
— Reid Wiseman , Other
Key People
NASA astronaut also part of the Artemis 2 mission.
Acting associate administrator for the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate at NASA.
Orion programme manager at NASA.
Jared Isaacman is the new head of NASA and an amateur jet pilot known for being the first non-professional astronaut to conduct a spacewalk.
Astronaut from the Canadian Space Agency who flew on Artemis 2.
Lori Glaze is a NASA official who leads the Artemis program.
NASA astronaut who flew on the Artemis 2 mission.
NASA astronaut who participated in the Artemis 2 mission.
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All Coverage
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.
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