space
Artemis II astronauts wake up in the Orion spacecraft and orbit the Earth on their first day
Artemis II astronauts began their first day in space orbiting the Earth, while NASA evaluates if the mission continues towards the Moon
TL;DR
- The four Artemis II astronauts woke up inside the Orion spacecraft to orbit Earth on their first day.
- The spacecraft ignited its main engine to refine its trajectory for a stable Earth orbit en route to the Moon.
- The crew will orbit Earth for about 24 hours to test systems before proceeding to the Moon.
- If successful, the crew will reach the far side of the Moon on Monday, April 6, achieving a new deep space record.
- The mission administration team will hold a meeting to evaluate spacecraft systems and approve the translunar propulsion.
- The crew consists of Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover (NASA), and Jeremy Hansen (CSA).
- This 10-day mission is the second of the Artemis program, preceding future lunar landings and Mars exploration.