For the first time in over five decades, NASA has launched a crewed lunar mission, marking a historic leap with the successful liftoff of Artemis II on Wednesday.
Carrying four astronauts, the mission will perform a lunar flyby, rekindling human exploration of deep space last attempted during Apollo 17 in 1972.
After circling Earth to build momentum, the Orion spacecraft executed a critical translunar injection (TLI) burn at 4.49 am Thursday, propelling it out of Earth's orbit and onto a trajectory toward the Moon.
The maneuver, generating 6,000 pounds of thrust, burned nearly 1,000 pounds of fuel to push Orion's 58,000-pound mass beyond Earth's gravity.
Crew member Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency hailed the milestone: "We firmly felt the power of your perseverance during every second of that burn."
Beyond the technical triumph, NASA highlighted how astronauts are maintaining fitness in space using a compact flywheel exercise device capable of supporting loads up to 400 pounds.
The mission is a pivotal step in the Artemis program, designed to pave the way for sustained lunar exploration and, eventually, human missions to Mars.