Artemis II Moon mission enters next phase as astronauts complete perigee raise burn
NASA's Artemis II crew have completed a key engine burn aboard the Orion capsule, putting them on course for tonight's critical firing that could send humans toward the Moon for the first time since 1972.
NASA's Artemis II crew has completed a key engine burn aboard the Orion spacecraft, nudging it into a stable orbit and clearing the path for what could be the most significant moment in human spaceflight in more than half a century.
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The four astronauts, Americans Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canada's Jeremy Hansen, were woken by mission control at just after noon GMT (7am EDT) with the song 'Sleepyhead' by Young and Sick before monitoring the manoeuvre.
The spacecraft fired its service module's main engine for 43 seconds, raising the lowest point of its orbit and refining its trajectory as it continues to circle Earth.
The move, a perigee raise burn, puts the Orion capsule, which the crew have named Integrity, in position for the evening's bigger prize.
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Pending approval from the mission management team, a translunar injection burn is scheduled for 12:49am GMT (7:49pm EDT), lasting five minutes and 51 seconds.
The firing that would send humans back toward the Moon for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972.
After the burn, the crew reported cold conditions on board before returning to sleep, with mission control adjusting airflow and temperature settings.
Artemis II astronauts are doing great. The Orion spacecraft is performing well in an impressive elliptical orbit, and the @NASA_Johnson Mission Control team is taking good care of the crew. Meanwhile, back at @NASAKennedy, the teams are out at the pad getting ready for what comes… pic.twitter.com/PsnPMeLNvS
— NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman (@NASAAdmin) April 2, 2026
Commander Wiseman commented on the spectacular view of Earth, while mission specialist Christina Koch described rivers and thunderclouds caught in the light of the setting sun.
The mission management team will meet to assess the spacecraft's systems before giving their approval for the translunar injection.
If they give the go-ahead, Orion's engines will fire for nearly six minutes, committing the crew to a four-day journey of roughly a quarter of a million miles around the far side of the Moon and back.