{"id":217578,"date":"2026-04-03T15:01:45","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T15:01:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/217578\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T15:01:45","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T15:01:45","slug":"artemis-ii-crew-pulls-moonshot-trigger-after-1-day-in-earth-orbit-orlando-sentinel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/217578\/","title":{"rendered":"Artemis II crew pulls moonshot trigger after 1 day in Earth orbit \u2013 Orlando Sentinel"},"content":{"rendered":"

It had been 53 years, 3 months and 17 days since the Apollo 17 crew left lunar orbit, headed back to Earth and ended an era.<\/p>\n

But a new era has finally begun with the Wednesday launch of the Artemis II mission from Kennedy Space Center and its Thursday move toward the moon, an event that will kickstart the agency\u2019s plans to venture back to a place not visited for generations.<\/p>\n

\u201cNASA is back in the business of sending astronauts to the moon,\u201d said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman after witnessing the most powerful rocket ever ridden hurtle the Orion spacecraft into orbit on the way to a 10-day, lunar flyby that aims to ensure Orion is safe enough for the agency\u2019s grand lunar plans.<\/p>\n

NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen strapped into the spacecraft and launched atop NASA\u2019s Space Launch System rocket<\/a>, which lit into Florida\u2019s skies like the tip of a burning candle.<\/p>\n

Riding the 8.8 million pounds of thrust, the SLS bested the power seen by the space shuttle and the Apollo program\u2019s mighty Saturn V rockets.<\/p>\n

\"SpectatorsSpectators look on from the A. Max Brewer Bridge as NASA’s Artemis II moon rocket lifts off Wednesday, April 1, 2026, as seen from Titusville, Fla. (AP Photo\/Phelan M. Ebenhack)<\/p>\n

Estimates that more than 200,000 could be on hand to witness the event seemed to come to fruition as beaches, parks and roadways jam were packed with crowds muscling for their place to see the fiery spectacle make its way out over the Atlantic.<\/p>\n

Minutes after the 6:35 p.m. liftoff, Wiseman chimed in over the radio.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a beautiful moonrise and we\u2019re headed right for it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Space Launch System rocket topped with the Orion capsule carrying the four astronauts of the Artemis II mission launches from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39-B on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Roger Simmons\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

\"Artemis<\/p>\n

Artemis II astronauts, commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, take off from Launch Complex 39B for their mission to the Moon, on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda\/ Orlando Sentinel)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Space Launch System rocket topped with the Orion capsule carrying the four astronauts of the Artemis II mission launches from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39-B on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Roger Simmons\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Space Launch System rocket topped with the Orion capsule carrying the four astronauts of the Artemis II mission launches from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39-B on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Roger Simmons\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Space Launch System rocket topped with the Orion capsule carrying the four astronauts of the Artemis II mission launches from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39-B on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Roger Simmons\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Space Launch System rocket topped with the Orion capsule carrying the four astronauts of the Artemis II mission launches from Kennedy Space Center\u2019s Launch Pad 39-B on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Roger Simmons\/Orlando Sentinel)\n<\/p>\n

\"Artemis<\/p>\n

Artemis II astronauts, commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, take off from Launch Complex 39B for their mission to the Moon, on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda\/ Orlando Sentinel)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Space Launch System rocket topped with the Orion capsule carrying the four astronauts of the Artemis II mission launches from Kennedy Space Center\u2019s Launch Pad 39-B on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Richard Tribou\/Orlando Sentinel)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Space Launch System rocket topped with the Orion capsule carrying the four astronauts of the Artemis II mission launches from Kennedy Space Center\u2019s Launch Pad 39-B on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Richard Tribou\/Orlando Sentinel)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Space Launch System rocket topped with the Orion capsule carrying the four astronauts of the Artemis II mission launches from Kennedy Space Center\u2019s Launch Pad 39-B on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Richard Tribou\/Orlando Sentinel)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Space Launch System rocket topped with the Orion capsule carrying the four astronauts of the Artemis II mission launches from Kennedy Space Center\u2019s Launch Pad 39-B on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Richard Tribou\/Orlando Sentinel)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 11<\/p>\n

The Space Launch System rocket topped with the Orion capsule carrying the four astronauts of the Artemis II mission launches from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39-B on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Roger Simmons\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

Crew members spent their first day in space making sure the life-support systems on the spacecraft worked and testing out Orion\u2019s manual engine control. On Thursday evening about 25 hours after liftoff came the so-called translunar injection (TLI), which sent them on a more-than-three-day burn to pass by the moon in what could be the farthest any humans have traveled from Earth.<\/p>\n

The mission management team gave the go for TLI at 7:49 p.m., with the burn lasting five minutes, 49 seconds, increasing Orion\u2019s velocity by 868 mph.<\/p>\n

Mission control stated \u201clooks like a good burn.\u201d Hansen was on the coms as Orion rounded Earth for the last time.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith that successful TLI, the crew\u2019s feeling pretty good up here on our way to the moon,\u201d Hansen said. \u201cAnd we just wanted to communicate to everyone around the planet who\u2019s worked to making Artemis possible that we firmly felt the power of you perseverance during every second of that burn. Humanity has once again shown what we are capable of and it\u2019s your hopes for the future that carry us now on this journey around the moon.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hansen then described what the crew was seeing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are getting just a beautiful view of the dark side of the Earth right now lit by the moon. Phenomenal,\u201d he said. \u201cYeah, none of us can get to lunch \u2019cause we\u2019re glued to the window. We\u2019re taking pictures.\u201d<\/p>\n

The burn was executed by the flight operations team in Houston.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was flawless,\u201d said Lori Glaze, the acting associate administrator for NASA\u2019s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate during a post-TLI press conference. \u201cThe burn was the last major firing of this mission. From this point forward, the laws of orbital mechanics are going to carry our crew to the moon, around the far side and back to Earth.\u201d<\/p>\n

The day before, after launch, Isaacman weighed in the caliber of the four astronauts and gravity of their mission.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have a truly exceptional crew up there that have been training for years on this,\u201d Isaacman said. \u201cThat gives you the confidence to undertake this mission, especially knowing the implications that it is part of a much bigger program. This is America and our partners\u2019 return to the moon, and we\u2019re trying to do it this time to stay.\u201d<\/p>\n

In history, only the men of nine Apollo missions have ever flown into deep space beyond low-Earth orbit, with six of those missions making successful landings on the moon.<\/p>\n

NASA plans to follow this mission with Artemis III, staying closer to Earth to test out Orion\u2019s ability to dock with one or both of the new lunar landers being developed. It won\u2019t be until at least 2028 on the Artemis IV mission that humans will return to the lunar surface.<\/p>\n

NASA then plans to begin building out a robust lunar base, spending $20 billion on rovers, habitats and other infrastructure targeting the lunar south pole into the 2030s.<\/p>\n

\"NASANASA Administrator Jared Isaacman smiles while waiting for the Artemis II crew walkout, on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda\/ Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

\u201cIncredibly important mission, certainly felt the pressure of it,\u201d Isaacman said.<\/p>\n

Orion is only the seventh iteration of a crew-capable spacecraft used by NASA astronauts, following Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, the space shuttle, SpaceX\u2019s Crew Dragon and Boeing\u2019s Starliner.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnderstanding the Orion spacecraft is paramount in this one, to progress on to integrated operations of Orion with a with a lander. Every day we\u2019re getting data,\u201d Isaacman said.<\/p>\n

Astronaut Nichole Ayers, who flew to space on Crew-10 in 2025, was part of the NASA broadcast team Wednesday evening and became emotional after seeing the launch surrounded by an exhilarated crowd.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe energy was wonderful,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got four friends and family members headed to the moon. It\u2019s pretty amazing. \u2026We don\u2019t have the words in the English language to describe this kind of event. Pride. Love. So many emotions. They are truly breaking some barriers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Orion flew Artemis I uncrewed in 2022, which orbited the moon on a much longer mission. The quartet won\u2019t be on the same trajectory, simply flying by Earth\u2019s biggest satellite, but are on track to break the record for humans\u2019 distance from Earth held by the three astronauts of Apollo 13 in 1970.<\/p>\n

Also, Glover will be the first Black man, Koch the first woman and Hansen the first non-American<\/a> to travel to deep space.<\/p>\n

\"Artemis<\/p>\n

Artemis II mission specialists Jeremy Hansen and Christina Koch walk out on the way to Launch Complex 39B for their mission to the Moon, on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda\/ Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

\"From<\/p>\n

From left, Artemis II mission specialist Jeremy Hansen, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch and commander Reid Wiseman walk out on the way to Launch Complex 39B for their mission to the Moon, on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda\/ Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

\"Artemis<\/p>\n

Artemis II pilot Victor Glover talks with loved ones during the walk out on the way to Launch Complex 39B for their mission to the Moon, on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda\/ Orlando Sentinel)\n<\/p>\n

\"From<\/p>\n

From left, The Artemis II crew mission specialist Jeremy Hansen, pilot Victor Glover, commander Reid Wiseman and mission specialist Christina Koch wave as they walk out on the way to Launch Complex 39B for their mission to the Moon, on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda\/ Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

\"Artemis<\/p>\n

Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman poses for photos during the walk out on the way to Launch Complex 39B for their mission to the Moon, on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda\/ Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

\"Artemis<\/p>\n

Artemis II pilot Victor Glover blows kisses to loved ones during the walk out on the way to Launch Complex 39B for their mission to the Moon, on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda\/ Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

\"From<\/p>\n

From left, The Artemis II crew mission specialist Jeremy Hansen, pilot Victor Glover, commander Reid Wiseman and mission specialist Christina Koch walk out on the way to Launch Complex 39B for their mission to the Moon, on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda\/ Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

\"Artemis<\/p>\n

Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman talks with loved ones during the walk out on the way to Launch Complex 39B for their mission to the Moon, on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda\/ Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

\"Artemis<\/p>\n

Artemis II mission specialist Christina Koch talks with loved ones during the walk out on the way to Launch Complex 39B for their mission to the Moon, on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda\/ Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

\"Artemis<\/p>\n

Artemis II mission specialist Jeremy Hansen talks with loved ones during the walk out on the way to Launch Complex 39B for their mission to the Moon, on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda\/ Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

\"Artemis<\/p>\n

Artemis II pilot Victor Glover talks with loved ones during the walk out on the way to Launch Complex 39B for their mission to the Moon, on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda\/ Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

\"Astronaut<\/p>\n

Astronaut Michael Barratt takes a photo of Victor Glover\u2019s family before the Artemis II crew walks out on their way to Launch Complex 39B for their mission to the Moon, on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda\/ Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

\"From<\/p>\n

From left, The Artemis II crew mission specialist Jeremy Hansen, pilot Victor Glover, commander Reid Wiseman and mission specialist Christina Koch pose for photos as they walk out on the way to Launch Complex 39B for their mission to the Moon, on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda\/ Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 13<\/p>\n

Artemis II mission specialists Jeremy Hansen and Christina Koch walk out on the way to Launch Complex 39B for their mission to the Moon, on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda\/ Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

Their closest approach will come on Monday, flying within 4,000 to 6,000 miles from the moon. They could end up 252,799 miles from Earth, which exceeds Apollo 13\u2019s distance by 4,144 miles.<\/p>\n

While Artemis II opens the door for the future, Isaacman said getting the crew home safe is NASA\u2019s primary concern. It\u2019s targeting a landing on April 10 off the coast of California in the Pacific Ocean.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a test mission, for sure,\u201d he said. \u201cNo crew have ever ridden this before. We\u2019ll keep gathering data over the next 10 days. We\u2019ll share updates, but we\u2019ll call it a success when they\u2019re in the water safely. And then we\u2019ll start working on the next mission.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It had been 53 years, 3 months and 17 days since the Apollo 17 crew left lunar orbit,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":217579,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[16924,114,11969,115,139,141,140,554,109,76686,1769],"class_list":{"0":"post-217578","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-orlando","8":"tag-artemis","9":"tag-latest-headlines","10":"tag-nasa","11":"tag-news","12":"tag-orlando","13":"tag-orlando-headlines","14":"tag-orlando-news","15":"tag-science","16":"tag-social","17":"tag-social-business","18":"tag-space"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217578","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=217578"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217578\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/217579"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=217578"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=217578"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=217578"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}