Flight Day 2 of the historic Artemis 2 mission was defined by a monumental orbital milestone: the successful Trans-Lunar Injection (TLI) burn.
The crew began their day with 4K video checkouts and minor cabin temperature adjustments before executing a flawless Perigee Raise Burn (PRB). Following a series of heartfelt messages from ground teams across the U.S., Mission Control gave the highly anticipated “Go” for TLI. Lasting just under six minutes, the burn accelerated the Orion spacecraft to over 38,463 kph (23,900 mph), officially propelling the four astronauts out of Earth orbit and toward the Moon.
Shortly after the spacecraft committed to its lunar trajectory, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen beamed down a poignant message of gratitude to the global team, stating, “humanity has once again shown what we are capable of.”
Now cruising tens of thousands of miles into deep space, the crew capped off their historic day with a live media event, describing awe-inspiring, pole-to-pole views of their home planet—complete with a glimpse of the Northern Lights.