NASA confirmed Thursday that the four-person crew aboard the Orion spacecraft is now on a precise trajectory toward the Moon after successfully completing a critical engine burn. The maneuver, known as the translunar injection burn, lasted about six minutes and accelerated the spacecraft enough to break free of Earth’s gravitational pull. On board are NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
The milestone comes just one day after a dramatic launch from Florida’s Space Coast. At 6:35 p.m. on April 1, NASA’s Space Launch System rocket roared to life at Kennedy Space Center, lifting Orion and its crew into a clear evening sky. Hundreds of thousands watched from across Florida and beyond as the bright plume climbed steadily away from Launch Pad 39B. Millions more watched the event on television. “Today, for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972, humans have departed Earth orbit,” said Dr. Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate. “Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy now are on a precise trajectory toward the Moon.”
Once in space, astronauts got busy quickly. Orion deployed its four solar array wings, stretching outward to capture energy from the Sun to power the spacecraft’s electrical systems. Inside the spacecraft, the crew and flight controllers began the careful transition from launch operations to on-orbit flight, checking systems and verifying that everything was working as expected. About 49 minutes after liftoff, the rocket’s upper stage fired, placing Orion into an elongated orbit around Earth. A second burn pushed the spacecraft into a high orbit reaching roughly 46,000 miles above the planet.
Originally reported by Hernando Sun
Sources: Hernando Sun
