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| photo:nasa |
The four astronauts of the US space agency NASA's Artemis II mission have left Earth's orbit and set off for the moon. The Orion space capsule successfully fired its main engine, after which the spacecraft began its final journey to the moon.
This important engine burn, which lasted five minutes and 55 seconds, is called the "translunar injection" (TLI). According to NASA's Dr. Lori Glaze, this phase was completely successful and completed without any problems.
Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen from the Orion capsule said that the crew was feeling "very good" during the journey to the moon. He said that humanity has once again proven what it can achieve.
The Artemis II mission is now moving into an orbit that will bring the astronauts back to Earth by circling the far side of the moon. This is the first time humans have traveled beyond Earth's orbit since 1972.
The live stream shows the Earth slowly shrinking as the Orion spacecraft moves away from Earth. Jeremy Hansen, the first non-American astronaut to travel to the Moon, told Mission Control that he was touched by the hard work and dedication of all those who made this mission possible.
"Humanity has once again demonstrated its capabilities. Your hopes are what are carrying us on this journey to the Moon," he said.
The spacecraft spent nearly a day in high Earth orbit, where Orion's engines, navigation and life support systems were thoroughly inspected. After confirming that all systems were working properly, the final engine burn towards the Moon was approved.
The main engine of the service module, located behind the astronauts' seats, ignited and continued to accelerate Orion to thousands of kilometers per hour.
The journey will take astronauts to a distance from Earth that no human has ever reached before. According to NASA, the spacecraft will also go about 4,700 miles (7,600 kilometers) beyond the moon, after which the moon's gravity will bring it back to Earth.
This record could exceed the distance set by the 1970 Apollo 13 mission, but it will depend on the details of the orbit and speed.
According to NASA, although this phase is extremely important, it cannot be called a "last chance return." If an emergency situation is encountered, controllers can turn the spacecraft back to Earth.
The return in the first 36 hours after the start of the mission is the fastest possible. After that, a lunar orbit return to Earth is also considered a safe and easy way.
Orion program manager Howard Howe said that the team has run mission simulations millions of times to ensure the astronauts' safe return.
"It's been a really great few days," Howard Howe said in a media briefing after the successful engine burn.
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| photo:nasa |
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