Artemis II Flight Day 3: Crew More Than Halfway to the Moon, Koch Sights Moon from Docking Hatch
Summary: The Artemis II mission is more than halfway to the Moon. NASA's Mission Control cancelled the first planned outbound trajectory correction burn as Orion's trajectory is already precise. NASA astronaut Christina Koch reported seeing the Moon through Orion's docking hatch: "We all had a collective expression of joy... We can see the Moon out of the docking hatch right now. It's a beautiful sight." The crew is preparing the cabin for the lunar observation period on April 6.
Credit: NASA
Mission Progress
On Flight Day 2 (April 2), Orion successfully completed the translunar injection (TLI) burn, firing its main engine for approximately 5 minutes and 50 seconds. This officially sent the crew on a trajectory toward the Moon — marking the first time humans have left Earth orbit since the Apollo program in 1972.
On Flight Day 3, the crew began their second full day in space after an approximately eight-hour rest period, settling into the rhythm of deep-space operations. The first of three planned trajectory correction burns was cancelled, as the spacecraft's flight path requires no fine-tuning at this stage.
Christina Koch excitedly reported from Orion: "We all had a collective expression of joy at that... We can see the Moon out of the docking hatch right now. It's a beautiful sight." With the mission now more than halfway to the Moon, the crew began preparing the spacecraft's cabin for the lunar observation period scheduled for Monday, April 6, at approximately 2:30 p.m.
Crew activities for the day included exercising, practicing medical response procedures, and testing the spacecraft's emergency communications system in deep space. The crew is scheduled to begin their sleep period around 3 a.m. CDT, with the ground team planning to wake them at 11:35 a.m. on Saturday, April 4, to begin Flight Day 4.
ESA's European Service Module plays a critical role in this mission, providing propulsion, electrical power, thermal control, and the air and water needed by the crew.
Upcoming Milestones
- April 6: Lunar flyby
- ~10-day mission end: Pacific Ocean splashdown