The "Orion" spacecraft leaves Earth's orbit and heads for the Moon

The "Orion" spacecraft, flying to the Moon as part of the "Artemis-2" mission with four astronauts on board, is leaving Earth's orbit and heading towards its satellite.

As planned, at approximately 7:49 PM Eastern US time (2:49 AM Minsk time), Orion's engines ignited and performed a so-called "trans-lunar injection burn," meaning they accelerated the spacecraft.

They operated for approximately six minutes, causing the spacecraft to begin leaving Earth's orbit. This is one of the key stages of the mission, as it is difficult for the spacecraft to turn back to Earth afterward.

"Humanity has once again shown what it is capable of," said Jeremy Hansen, an astronaut from the Canadian Space Agency, after the burn. "Your hopes for the future are helping our journey to the Moon."

Later, the crew members reported that they had a very beautiful view of Earth's dark side.

NASA officials said at a press conference that the burn went flawlessly.

"I am delighted to inform you that for the first time since 1972, when the Apollo 17 mission took place, humans have left Earth's orbit," NASA representative Laurie Glaze told reporters.

Later, the crew members held their first space press conference: they answered questions from American television channels.

Astronaut Christina Koch admitted that she had to repair the onboard toilet, adding: "I like to say that [the plunger] is the most important tool in space." She explained that after some malfunctions, the unit is now working.

During the press conference, a soft toy, the mission's mascot, floated in front of the astronauts, drawn by eight-year-old San Francisco resident Lucas Yee.

Павялічыць

Before this, "Orion" successfully deployed its solar panels, and after some time performed a maneuver that brought it into a high Earth orbit — where the crew conducted a series of spacecraft tests, writes the BBC.

Before the burn, "Orion" once again approached Earth: at the moment of acceleration, it was at a distance of about 185 km from it.

Now the spacecraft with the astronauts has begun its journey towards the Moon, where they are expected to arrive on Monday, April 6. There will be no landing on the Earth's satellite as part of the mission; "Orion" will only fly around it.

Four astronauts — three Americans and one Canadian — will be the first people in history to see the far side of the Moon with their own eyes.

Then they will begin their return journey to Earth, aided by the Moon's natural gravity. Thus, the current burn will simultaneously allow the spacecraft to reach the Moon and return to Earth.

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