The four astronauts of the Artemis II program turned on the engine of their Orion spacecraft to leave Earth’s orbit, where they remained for almost a day, and head towards the Moon on the night of this Thursday (04/02/2026), a feat that NASA had not performed for more than half a century.

“Humanity has shown once again what it is capable of,” said Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, who embarked on this journey with three Americans that will make them the first manned mission to reach the orbit of the natural satellite since the end of the Apollo program in 1972.

“It is your hopes for the future that drive us today on this trip around the Moon,” he added shortly after this maneuver, one of the most important of the mission, was carried out around 01:49 CET this Friday.

For almost six minutes, the Orion spacecraft carrying them generated the thrust necessary to leave Earth’s orbit and is now moving away from the blue planet in the direction of the Moon.

Hansen described “a stunning view” from his windows, of “the Moonlit Earth.” “It’s phenomenal,” he added.

Translunar injection was “flawless”

NASA confirmed that the translunar injection maneuver of the Artemis II mission was completed successfully, putting the crew on route to the Moon, despite registering minor incidents that do not compromise the development of the flight.

The agency acknowledged that during the early phases of the Orion spacecraft’s operation there were technical adjustments and a brief interruption in communications, which has since been resolved, although it insisted that there are no current concerns.

“We have encountered several issues along the way, but none of them are a concern at this time,” Howard Hu, the director of the Orion program, said at a press conference.

The authorities highlighted that the maneuver, which lasted five minutes and 52 seconds, was executed “impeccably” by the flight control team in Houston and marks the last major ignition of the mission’s engines, after which the spacecraft will continue its trajectory driven by the laws of orbital mechanics around the Moon and back to Earth.

He also stressed that the crew is in good condition and that the capsule’s systems are working as planned.

jc (afp, efe, dpa)