Artemis II Reaches Orbit, Prepares Lunar Burn

Overview

• The launch Wednesday marks the first crewed voyage toward the Moon since 1972, sending four astronauts on a roughly 10-day test flight.
• After separating from the rocket, Orion entered Earth orbit for checkouts and a proximity demo with the spent upper stage to practice future rendezvous work.
• Mission control reported a brief loss of crew uplink and a toilet controller glitch shortly after liftoff, both resolved with systems now operating normally.
• Next up is the trans‑lunar injection to place Orion on a free‑return path for a high pass behind the Moon, with a planned far‑side communications blackout around April 6.
• The crew—commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and Canada’s Jeremy Hansen—will validate SLS and Orion for later lunar landings, with splashdown targeted in the Pacific near San Diego around April 10.