First trip to the Moon in more than 50 years/ NASA's historic Artemis II mission launches

2026-04-02 07:40:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

First trip to the Moon in more than 50 years/ NASA's historic Artemis II

NASA's historic Artemis II mission, the first to travel to the Moon in more than 50 years, entered Earth's orbit, the US space agency announced, minutes after the impressive liftoff of the rocket carrying the spacecraft.

About eight minutes after liftoff, the Orion capsule separated as planned from the massive rocket and SLS rocket tanks that carried it into space and entered Earth orbit.

The three American astronauts, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Reed Wiseman, and their Canadian colleague Jeremy Hansen, are safe, NASA said in a statement.

As is already known, they will remain in Earth orbit for the time being to perform a series of critical tests. Later today, they will move towards the Moon, about 384,000 kilometers from Earth.

They will not land on the Moon during their 10-day mission, but will travel around it. The Artemis II mission successfully launched from the Kennedy Space Center, and the next phase of the journey has begun.

From Earth orbit to return to Earth, these are the next critical phases of the mission:

- Earth's Orbit (Day 1)

Immediately after launch, the Artemis II astronauts will spend a day in Earth orbit. This phase will allow them to check that all systems are functioning properly before continuing their journey to the Moon.

- Lunar Trajectory (Days 2 to 5)

From days two through five, Orion's main engine will fire and begin the capsule's journey out of Earth's orbit and toward the Moon, approximately 244,000 miles away.

- Lunar Flight (Day 6)

Day six is ??a significant moment, as Orion will reach its farthest point from Earth, about 5,000 miles beyond the Moon. The astronauts will record this moment on video for future reference.

- Return to Earth (Days 6 to 9)

After completing its lunar flyby, Orion will use the gravitational pull of the Moon and Earth to return to Earth. This phase is critical for steering its journey and re-entering Earth's atmosphere.

- Atmospheric Entry

The Orion service module will separate from the capsule and the capsule will re-enter Earth's atmosphere. During this process, temperatures will reach about 1,650°C, putting the capsule under great pressure and thermal stress.

- Return

The Artemis II mission will conclude with the capsule landing on the surface of the Pacific Ocean. The astronauts will use parachutes to safely land, marking the end of the historic journey around the Moon.

Meanwhile, several technical problems during launch preparations caused chaos hours before liftoff. The problems involved the flight abort system - which is designed to destroy the rocket if it goes off course - as well as a battery for the Launch Abort System - which would have pulled the crew capsule out of danger in the event of a problem. /CNA