Artemis II Leaves Earth's Orbit

The historic mission reached a major milestone as the Orion spacecraft's main engine fired for nearly six minutes to escape Earth's gravity.

This maneuver puts the three American and one Canadian astronauts on a free-return trajectory that will slingshot them around the far side of the moon.

During their first days in space, the crew has been conducting system checks and troubleshooting minor issues with the onboard facilities.

The mission serves as a critical precursor to NASA's goal of landing humans back on the moon by 2028.