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Artemis II Crew Completes Translunar Burn, Heads Moonward

PUBLISHED Apr 2, 2026, 11:31 PM ET

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Artemis II Crew Completes Translunar Burn, Heads Moonward

Media Bias Meter

Sources: 10

Center 100%

Sources: 10

Florida — NASA's Artemis II crew fired Orion's main engine this week, executing a translunar injection burn that cleared Earth orbit and placed the spacecraft on a free‑return trajectory toward the Moon, with the burn lasting about five minutes and 49–50 seconds. The maneuver, performed after the 1 April SLS launch, validated ascent and propulsion operations; the four astronauts reported feeling well, teams will configure Orion on Day 3 for the lunar flyby, and the ten‑day mission will gather system performance data before re‑entry and return.

By Adyan K. | JQJO News

Timeline of Events

1 April 2026: SLS launches Artemis II from Kennedy Space Center at 6:35 p.m. ET.
1 April 2026 (≈8.5 minutes after liftoff): Core stage completes ascent and separates as planned.
2 April 2026, 7:49 p.m. ET: Orion fires main engine for ~5 minutes 49–50 seconds for translunar injection.
3 April 2026 (Day 3): Crew configure Orion for lunar flyby and adjust to onboard life.
Early April 2026 (over 10 days): Artemis II performs lunar flyby, collects system data, and returns to Earth.

News Intelligence

This lunar mission is a big step for space exploration. It's about understanding our universe better. It's also about the potential for future moon bases. That could mean new jobs in science, tech, and engineering. If you have kids, they might be part of this future.

Media Bias

Articles Published:: 10
Right Leaning:: 0
Left Leaning:: 0
Neutral:: 10
Distribution:: Left 0%, Center 100%, Right 0%

Who Benefited

NASA, its commercial partners, the Canadian Space Agency and the scientific community benefit from validated hardware and operational data that will inform subsequent Artemis missions and commercial deep-space efforts.

Who Impacted

Mission teams and taxpayers bear potential operational risk and heightened scrutiny if anomalies occur during the crewed flyby and return, and astronauts face personal safety exposure inherent to deep-space missions.