Science

Space

NASA Artemis II Day 2: Orion Leaves Earth's Orbit on a Trajectory to the Moon

The Artemis II mission took another step forward Thursday after a vital engine burn that set the Orion on a flight path to the moon and ultimately back to Earth.

Katelyn Chedraoui

Jon Reed

Gael Cooper

Patrick Holland

Corinne Reichert

Jeff Carlson

April 2, 2026 11:17 p.m. PT

NASA's 322-foot-tall Artemis II Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft lifts off at Kennedy Space Center on April 1 in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

For the first time in 54 years, humanity is headed back to the moon. NASA's Artemis II mission departed Earth on Wednesday in a fully stocked, 332-foot-tall rocket with the Orion spacecraft. The crew is comprised of Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover and Mission Specialists Jeremy Hansen and Christina Koch. Glover is the first Black person to be sent to the moon, and Hansen is the first Canadian.…