Four astronauts aboard NASA’s Artemis II mission were racing toward the Moon on Friday after a crucial engine burn successfully placed the Orion capsule on its lunar trajectory, marking the first crewed Moon flyby mission in more than 50 years.
NASA described the nearly six-minute engine firing as “flawless”, a key milestone that now commits the crew to looping around the Moon during the 10-day mission before returning to Earth.
Following the successful burn, astronaut Jeremy Hansen said the moment was a reminder that “humanity has once again shown what we are capable of.”
The crew said they were captivated by the views outside the spacecraft, spending much of the time photographing Earth and the Moon.
“There’s nothing that prepares you for the breathtaking aspect of seeing your home planet both lit up bright as day, and also the Moon glow on it at night with the beautiful beam of the sunset,” astronaut Christina Koch said.
The major maneuver came a day after NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, sending the Orion crew capsule on its long-awaited journey around the Moon.
The spacecraft is now travelling on a free-return trajectory, meaning it will use the Moon’s gravity to swing around the far side before naturally heading back to Earth without the need for additional propulsion.
NASA official Lori Glaze said, “From this point forward, the laws of orbital mechanics are going to carry our crew to the Moon, around the far side and back to Earth.”
The crew includes American astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along with Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
In the early hours of the mission, the astronauts carried out spacecraft checks and resolved minor technical issues, including a communications problem and a temporary malfunction in the onboard toilet system.
Joking about the issue, Koch said she was “proud to call myself the space plumber,” adding that the crew was relieved when the system was found to be functioning properly.
The astronauts also completed their first in-space workout using the spacecraft’s exercise equipment, with each crew member scheduled for 30 minutes of daily fitness to help reduce muscle and bone loss in microgravity.
Artemis II is designed as a critical test mission ahead of NASA’s planned return to the lunar surface in 2028.
The mission is also historic for carrying the first woman, the first person of colour, and the first non-American astronaut on a lunar mission.
If successful, the crew could travel farther from Earth than any humans in history.
“There is nothing normal about this,” said commander Reid Wiseman. “Sending four humans 250,000 miles away is a Herculean effort.”
The Artemis programme forms part of NASA’s long-term strategy to establish a sustained human presence on the Moon and use it as a stepping stone for future missions to Mars.
The renewed push toward lunar exploration has also been seen as part of a wider space race, with China aiming to land astronauts on the Moon by 2030.
Reflecting on the view from space, astronaut Victor Glover offered a unifying message: “From up here, you look amazing. You look beautiful. We’re all one people.”