NASA's Artemis II begins Moon flyby after key engine burn
NASA's Artemis II mission just kicked off its journey to the Moon, the first time in more than 50 years that astronauts are heading there.
The Orion spacecraft, carrying four crew members, set off after a key engine burn early Thursday morning.
The plan: swing by the Moon and come back home.
Orion used 454kg of fuel
To break free from Earth's orbit, Orion fired up its engines and used 454kg of fuel for a powerful push.
Onboard, astronauts are keeping fit with a special flywheel exercise device designed for space.
Crew member Jeremy Hansen shared his excitement and highlighted how global teamwork made this possible, calling it With that successful TLI, the crew is feeling pretty good up here on our way to the moon, and we just wanted to communicate to everyone around the planet who's worked to make Artemis possible that we firmly felt the power of your perseverance during every second of that burn.