Artemis II Crew Successfully Completes Critical Moon-Bound Engine Burn

NASA's Artemis II crew hit a major milestone Thursday evening when their Orion spacecraft successfully completed the most critical part of their moon mission so far.

The spacecraft fired its main engine for 5 minutes and 50 seconds starting at 7:49 p.m. EDT, completing what NASA calls a translunar injection burn. This maneuver changed the spacecraft's speed by 1,274 feet per second, officially sending the crew out of Earth's orbit and toward the moon.

The mission management team gave the go-ahead for the burn after checking all systems. Following the successful engine firing, the crew reported they were feeling good as they began their journey to the moon.

This mission represents the first time humans have traveled beyond Earth's orbit since the Apollo program ended in the 1970s. Artemis II is a test flight designed to prove NASA's new moon program works before attempting to land astronauts on the lunar surface in future missions.

The crew will now spend several days traveling to the moon, fly around it, and return to Earth to complete their historic test flight.