Thumbnail image: A view of Earth taken by NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman from one of the Orion spacecraft’s window after completing the translunar injection burn on April 2, 2026. The image features two auroras (top right and bottom left) and zodiacal light (bottom right) is visible as the Earth eclipses the Sun. Source: https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/missions/2026/04/03/artemis-ii-flight-day-3-crew-prepares-for-first-correction-burn-readies-to-receive-lunar-observation-assignment/
After lifting off on April 1, NASA’s first crewed Artemis mission moved through its early orbit-raising maneuvers and, on April 2, Orion completed the burn that sent the spacecraft out of Earth orbit and onto its path toward the Moon. NASA says the engine firing lasted 5 minutes and 50 seconds, marking the moment the crew truly began their journey into cislunar space.
That maneuver, known as translunar injection, is the mission’s decisive push toward the Moon. In practical terms, it is the burn that gives Orion enough velocity to leave its initial Earth-bound orbit and head outward on a lunar trajectory. This the point where the mission shifts from launch and checkout into the kind of deep-space operations NASA has not conducted with astronauts since Apollo. NASA noted that, once the burn was complete, the Artemis II crew became the first people to leave Earth orbit since 1972.
Since then, Orion appears to be flying an exceptionally clean outbound course. On April 3, flight controllers elected to cancel the spacecraft’s first outbound trajectory correction burn, a smaller planned maneuver intended to fine-tune the path after the major departure burn, since Orion was already on the right flight path for its lunar flyby. That kind of cancellation is a sign that the spacecraft and mission design are performing as intended, reducing the need for corrective work as the crew presses deeper into space.
Now the focus has shifted to the mission’s next defining event: the lunar flyby itself. Artemis II is not headed into lunar orbit; instead, Orion will pass the Moon on a carefully designed path that carries the crew around Earth’s nearest neighbor and then back home. NASA describes Artemis II as a crewed lunar flyby, a 10-day test flight built to prove the systems, procedures, and human performance needed for later Artemis missions. The flyby is the centerpiece of that test, with a real deep-space rehearsal, executed with astronauts aboard.
Preparations for that pass are already well underway inside Orion. NASA reported that, after the first correction burn was canceled, the crew began configuring the cabin for the upcoming lunar observation period. They have also continued the daily work that turns a spacecraft into a functioning deep-space habitat: exercise sessions, medical-response practice, emergency communications testing, and evaluations of how Orion handles in flight. On Flight Day 4, the crew also completed a manual piloting demonstration, adding another layer of operational data as the spacecraft closes in on the Moon.
The lunar flyby is expected to begin on April 6, when Orion’s main cabin windows will be oriented toward the Moon for a roughly six-hour observation period. During that window, the astronauts are scheduled to photograph and study selected lunar surface features, carrying out the first human lunar observation campaign of the Artemis era from aboard Orion itself. NASA has framed this phase as both operational and scientific: a chance to validate spacecraft performance while also sharpening the way future crews will observe the Moon during more ambitious missions still to come.
Did you miss the launch? Check out here https://www.youtube.com/live/Tf_UjBMIzNo, timestamp 5:37:00. Would you like to check up live updates (whenever possible)? Check out https://www.youtube.com/live/m3kR2KK8TEs. You can find too official news in NASA's Artemis blog https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/artemis/.
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