Orion Capsule Blasts Off for Moon

0:00Artemis II's Orion capsule just punched its ticket to the moon, crew, and all. That four-person team commander, Reed Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen, nailed the key engine burn Thursday evening after NASA, gave the green light. Hitting 25,000 miles per hour, they broke free from Earth's pull for a four-day ride around the lunar far side. Lashed Wednesday from Kennedy Space Center, the crew spent their first day in space testing Orion systems and tweaking its orbit up to 40,000 miles high. This marched the first crewed flight on a Lockheed Martin Orion and the first moon trip since Apollo 17 back in 1972. The astronauts are pumped, with Hansen calling out how they're loving the view of a crescent Earth while gearing up to accelerate moonward. Flight controllers confirmed the go-ahead and cameras beam back stunning shots from a medical path. Their set to smash records, flying 252,000 miles out farther than Apollo 13's crew in 1970.

1:03The big aim? Prove Orion can handle deep space runs, paving the way for South Pole landings in 2028. NASA's eyeing regular moon shots every six months, dropping $20 billion over seven years on faster launches and a lunar base. Artemis III hits low Earth orbit next year to practice docking with SpaceX and Blue Origin Landers, keeping the momentum rolling strong. Dallas News today, powered by AI bringing you what matters.