<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/4/1775175314964.png" alt="In this photo provided by NASA, a view of the Earth from NASA's Orion spacecraft as it orbits above the planet during the Artemis II test flight, on Thursday, April 2, 2026." />
                        <figcaption>In this photo provided by NASA, a view of the Earth from NASA's Orion spacecraft as it orbits above the planet during the Artemis II test flight, on Thursday, April 2, 2026.</figcaption>
                    </figure><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Next stop: lunar flyby. <br><br>The Orion spacecraft recently ignited its main engine on the service module for about six minutes to provide about 6,000 pounds of thrust. This maneuver not only sets the Artemis II astronauts on the path to the Moon. It also puts the crew in a free… <a href="https://t.co/cWTfpzGC7d">pic.twitter.com/cWTfpzGC7d</a></p>&mdash; NASA (@NASA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA/status/2039948929106579727?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 3, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">It’s not a straight shot to the far side of the Moon! 🌕<br><br>Over approximately 10 days, the Artemis II astronauts will orbit Earth twice before looping around the far side of the Moon in a figure eight and returning home. <a href="https://t.co/udjejhxgVx">pic.twitter.com/udjejhxgVx</a></p>&mdash; NASA (@NASA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA/status/2039826459141820573?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

Artemis crew departs earth's orbit on path to the moon