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Artemis II Trans Lunar Injection burn [1]

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Date: 2026-04-02  

Let’s watch the webcast from NASA as the Artemis II Orion spacecraft, named Integrity, executes the Trans Lunar Injection engine burn at 7:49 p.m. EDT. Integrity will just be 191 km from Earth at that point. The TLI will put it on a path to the moon for a flyby on April 6 around 7 p.m. UTC and return to earth 9 days from now.

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The 350-second burn will increase Integrity's speed of ~11,000 m/s by 388 m/s and stretch the current 191x70,133 km elliptical orbit to go ~10,427 km beyond the moon and return back to earth.

A few minor engine burns will be made during the trip to fine-tune the trajectory.

Early today, Artemis II astronauts woke up at 7:06 a.m. EDT with the song “Sleepyhead” by Young and Sick.

They then completed the perigee raise burn by igniting the Orion service module’s main engine for 43 seconds, which modified the trajectory to a 191x70,133 km elliptical orbit.

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After a few hour of sleep, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen ware awakened at 2:35 p.m. with the playing of “Green Light,” by John Legend and Andre 3000.

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Late last night, astronauts conducted the Proximity Operation Demo. Over the course of the approximately 70‑minute activity, the crew guided the spacecraft through a series of controlled approach and retreat maneuvers using the detached ICPS (interim cryogenic propulsion stage) as a reference target.

1. A view from the docking camera on NASA’s Orion spacecraft looking at the interim cryogenic propulsion stage as the Artemis II crew participates in a proximity operations demonstration. The demonstration tested the spacecraft’s ability to manually maneuver relative to another spacecraft using its onboard navigation sensors and reaction control thrusters.

2. A view over the shoulders of NASA astronauts Victor Glover (left) and Reid Wiseman (right), pilot and commander, respectively, inside the Orion spacecraft as they participate in a proximity operations demonstration. This demonstration tests the spacecraft’s ability to manually maneuver relative to another spacecraft, the interim cryogenic propulsion stage, after separation, using its onboard navigation sensors and reaction control thrusters.

More info on the mission in yesterday’s diary “NASA Artemis II crewed mission to the Moon - Liveblog.”

Go Artemis II!

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