The United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced that the Orion spacecraft has entered a translunar orbit and is on its way to the Moon as part of the Artemis II mission. This marks the first time since the 1972 Apollo 17 mission that humans have left Earth's orbit, representing a significant milestone in NASA's program to return to the lunar surface.

On April 2 at approximately 7:49 PM Eastern Time, Orion's engines executed a 'translunar injection burn'—a maneuver lasting 5 minutes and 55 seconds that propelled the spacecraft from Earth's orbit onto a trajectory toward the Moon. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman confirmed the event on his X account, stating that the Artemis II crew has officially begun its journey to the Moon.

The crew consists of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. Their primary objective is to test the Orion spacecraft's control systems in deep space conditions, with no landing on the lunar surface planned. During the mission, Orion will perform a single flyby around the Moon, and it is expected to enter the Moon's sphere of gravitational influence on April 5.

On April 6, the astronauts will fly past the far side of the Moon, capturing images and video of the lunar surface while conducting observations. Following this, Orion will initiate its return journey to Earth, with a scheduled landing 10 days after launch. Mission Commander Reid Wiseman highlighted in a post-flight video conference that the most striking impression for the crew was the view of Earth from space, which left them in awe and momentarily speechless.

Source: www.gazeta.uz