Artemis II breaks Earth orbit

The Orion spacecraft's main engine fired for nearly six minutes, placing the crew on a free-return trajectory that will slingshot them around the lunar far side.

This mission marks a critical milestone in the Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the lunar surface by 2028.

During their transit, the astronauts are conducting various technical tests, including troubleshooting the onboard toilet and testing Microsoft Outlook connectivity.

The mission is expected to break the all-time distance record for crewed spaceflight previously held by Apollo 13.