Artemis II: Orion on its way to the Moon
The Artemis II crew completed a key maneuver of the mission. Last night, the Orion service module's engine fired for 5 minutes and 50 seconds, and the Integrity spacecraft left Earth orbit, entering a trajectory toward the Moon. The translunar injection (TLI) maneuver proceeded as planned: with a thrust of approximately 2,700 kg, the 26-ton spacecraft burned approximately 450 kg of propellant.
Prior to this, the crew spent approximately 24 hours in a highly elliptical orbit—approximately 74,000 km above Earth. During this time, they checked out the onboard systems, performed a manual piloting test using the ICPS upper stage as a docking target, and activated the AVATAR scientific instrument.
Now all eyes are on April 6. On Monday, Orion will fly by the Moon, giving the crew approximately six hours of observation time. The science team is already formulating a target plan: craters, ancient lava flows, tectonic faults—anything that helps us understand the formation history of the Moon and the Solar System. Some observations will cover the far side, which has never been seen before.
But the most intriguing thing will happen near the end of the observing window. The crew will witness a solar eclipse—lasting nearly an hour. The Sun will disappear behind the lunar disk, and against the backdrop of the dark Moon, the astronauts will try to catch flashes from meteorite impacts on the surface, dust trails above the horizon, and the solar corona—the star's outer atmosphere, which has only been observed from this vantage point a few times.
Splashdown is planned in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego.