NASA approved the translunar injection burn for Artemis II on April 2, clearing the Orion spacecraft to leave Earth orbit at 7:49 p.m. EDT. The burn will send astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen toward the Moon for the first time since 1972. The decision follows a mission management review confirming spacecraft readiness and system performance.
The call came from Houston after a day of checks and calculations. The answer was simple. Go.
With that, NASA cleared Artemis II to attempt the maneuver that will send its crew beyond Earth orbit. If executed as planned, the burn will place humans on a path toward the Moon for the first time in more than five decades.
The mission marks a major step for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and its Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to deep space operations.
Translunar injection burn timing and Orion engine performance
The translunar injection burn is scheduled to begin at 7:49 p.m. Eastern Time. Orion’s main engine will fire for five minutes and 49 seconds, providing the acceleration needed to break free from Earth’s orbit.
The engine, located on the spacecraft’s service module, produces up to 6,000 pounds of thrust. NASA compares that output to accelerating a car from zero to 60 miles per hour in about 2.7 seconds.
The burn must be executed with precise timing and orientation. Even minor deviations can alter the spacecraft’s path over the hundreds of thousands of miles between Earth and the Moon.
Flight controllers will track engine performance, guidance systems, and navigation data in real time to ensure Orion remains aligned with its intended trajectory.
NASA flight directors Rick Henfling (right) and Judd Frieling (left) sit on console in Mission Control’s White Flight Control room during NASA’s Artemis II mission launch on Wednesday, April 1, 2026.
ROBERT MARKOWITZ NASA-JSC
Crew activities and first full day operations in space
Earlier in the day, the Artemis II crew began their first full schedule of in-space operations. NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch were joined by Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency.
Mission control woke the crew at 2:35 p.m. Eastern Time with the song “Green Light” by John Legend and Andre 3000, continuing a long-standing NASA tradition of musical wake-up calls.
The astronauts moved into preparations for the burn, reviewing procedures and monitoring spacecraft systems. They also conducted their first exercise session using Orion’s flywheel-based device, designed to help maintain muscle and bone health in microgravity.
Exercise equipment is a standard feature for crewed missions, particularly those that extend beyond low Earth orbit. Maintaining physical conditioning becomes critical as mission duration increases.
The hours leading up to the burn are structured around system checks, communication with ground teams, and final readiness confirmations.
The Artemis II mission is designed as a test flight. Yet the stakes of this maneuver are clear. Once the engine fires, the crew will begin a journey that carries them away from Earth and toward the Moon, retracing a path last taken during the Apollo era.
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