NASA Artemis II Astronauts Leave Earth Orbit for the Moon

Translunar injection (TLI) burn puts the Integrity Orion spacecraft on course for lunar orbit.

Jack Daleo

Friday, April 03, 2026 at 09:04 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Cameras on NASA’s Integrity Orion spacecraft capture images of Earth as four astronauts orbit the planet during flight day one of Artemis II. [Credit: NASA]

Key Takeaways:

NASA's Artemis II mission, carrying four astronauts (three American, one Canadian), has successfully completed its translunar injection (TLI) burn and begun a four-day journey to the moon, marking the first crewed mission to lunar orbit since the Apollo era.
The mission aims to send humans farther from Earth than ever before, utilizing a free return trajectory around the moon and conducting a historic lunar flyby on flight day six, where the crew will break previous distance records and observe the lunar farside.
As a critical test flight, Artemis II is gathering essential data on the Integrity Orion capsule's systems, including a modified heat shield for atmospheric reentry, to prepare for future crewed lunar landings in the Artemis program.

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After orbiting the Earth twice, four astronauts have officially begun their four-day journey to the moon.

Friday marks the start of flight day three for NASA’s historic Artemis II mission, which is sending three Americans and one Canadian farther from Earth than any human has ever ventured. It is NASA’s first crewed mission to lunar orbit since the Apollo era more than half a century ago.