Artemis II crew clears Earth orbit, heads for the moon
The engine firing provided a slingshot-like boost to the Orion capsule, speeding it to 24,500 mph, the velocity needed to break free of Earth's gravitational clasp for a trek to the moon.
Updated on: April 2, 2026 / 9:32 PM EDT / CBS News
The Artemis II astronauts broke out of Earth orbit and headed for the moon Thursday , firing their main engine for nearly six minutes to boost the ship's velocity to 24,500 mph, the speed required to escape Earth's gravitational clasp.
Racing through the low point of a highly elliptical orbit, Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen closely monitored the make-or-break "trans-lunar injection," or TLI, engine firing, which added 867 mph to their already high orbital velocity.
The shuttle-era Orbital Maneuvering System engine at the base of the Orion capsule's service module fired at 7:49 p.m. EDT at an altitude of just 115 miles. When the engine shut down, the Orion capsule was departing Earth on a so-called free-return trajectory that will carry the astronauts around the far side of the moon Monday and then back toward Earth without any other major rocket firings.
"And Houston, (this is) Integrity," Hansen radioed when the burn was complete. "Just wanted to share a little bit of the sentiment up here as we came around the planet and were zooming over just a hundred nautical miles above it, if you've got a moment."
"Please, Jeremy, we're all ears," mission control replied.