Nasa Artemis II Launch Updates: Nasa spacecraft orbits Earth after historic moon mission liftoff

More than two hours after the roar of liftoff, the astronauts have been taking in the “epic” views — but the work is far from over.

Over the next 24 hours, the spacecraft will orbit Earth twice as the crew tests a range of onboard systems. One issue has already emerged — the toilet.

One of the astronaut Christina Koch ran into trouble with the toilet, seconds after starting it up.

Tasks include igniting the so-called RL10 engine to place Orion in high-Earth orbit, manually piloting the spacecraft for the first time, and testing its handling to ensure it can safely dock with a lunar lander for the future Artemis III mission.

Governor of California, Gavin Newsom congratulated the entire crew of Nasa for the successful launch of Artemis II.

“To the more than 500 companies and 16,000 people representing California as the largest state-level contributor in this mission: You make California and the nation proud,” he wrote on his X.

A full Moon has risen over the Kennedy Space Center.

Following today’s successful launch, the astronauts are expected to witness a partial eclipse from the spacecraft.

The Moon will block the Sun, allowing the crew to observe the Sun’s corona — the outer layer of its atmosphere.

“It will be a unique opportunity,” Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator at NASA, told journalists during the press conference.

The briefing has now concluded, but live coverage of the spacecraft’s journey continues.

Nasa Administrator Jared Isaacman was asked why reaching the Moon remains so challenging today.

He said that “financial resources are part of the equation”, but noted that a renewed space race is now driving greater investment in lunar missions.

“This one’s going to be close”, he added.

For context, China has said it aims to land its taikonauts on the Moon by 2030.

“Competition can be a good thing — we certainly have competition now,” Isaacman said. “We’re going to get back in the business of launching rockets in a regular cadence.”

As the press conference continues, the spacecraft remains in orbit around Earth.

On Nasa’s live feed from aboard the Orion spacecraft, the blue curve of Earth is visible in the distance.

But for the astronauts, the view is far more striking.

“The view of Australia was epic just now, it is amazing to be at this altitude,” Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman says.

Nasa Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya detailed the two issues encountered ahead of launch — a problem with the flight termination system and a separate battery concern.

The flight termination system issue was resolved using legacy hardware from the Space Shuttle programme.

Kshatriya said the team was “really quick on their feet [and] swapped to a different range receiver”.

“This is what the training is for; this is what the practice is for,” he added, noting that the team “did really well”.

Earlier, NASA had confirmed that the battery issue in the Launch Abort System would not impact the launch.

Nasa administrator Jared Isaacman starts the press conference with briefly explaining the communications issue that occurred which led to the delay, where the team on the ground couldn’t hear the crew aboard the spacecraft.

He said, “The crew is “safe, secure and in great spirits”.

Switching to the significance of the mission

“After a brief 54 year intermission, Nasa is back in the business of sending astronauts to the Moon,” he said.

“This mission belongs as much to you as it does the crew,” he tells the Nasa workforce.

The Participants of the Nasa news conference from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida are:

Administrator Jared Isaacman
Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya
Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator, Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate
Norm Knight, director, Flight Operations Directorate

Artemis leaders are discussing the successful launch of Nasa’s Artemis II mission and the next steps for the astronauts headed on their journey around the Moon.

Over the next ten days, the four astronauts will put their Orion spacecraft through its paces on a long, looping voyage that will sling them out to lunar distance before gravity guides them back to Earth.

After a day of checks in high Earth orbit, they’ll fire the European‑built service module engine in what’s known as a “trans‑lunar injection” burn – the crucial manoeuvre that will push them away from the safety of home and commit them to deep space.

For several minutes the spacecraft accelerates hard. This is the big shove that tips Orion out of Earth orbit and sets it on a curved path towards the Moon – the combined gravity of Earth and Moon will naturally loop the spacecraft back home without another big engine burn.

If something serious goes wrong, the crew can effectively coast back along that track – a built-in safety feature that makes sense for a first crewed test.

It takes about four days to cruise out to the Moon. During that time, the astronauts will work through emergency drills, including how they would ride out a major solar radiation storm.

At its furthest, the trajectory takes the crew to around 230,000 miles from Earth, looping them behind the far side of the Moon.

After the flyby, Orion makes a series of gentle course correction burns to line up its path for the return to Earth.

Roughly four days later, Orion separates from the European Service Module and heads for home.

The capsule slams into the upper atmosphere at high speed, its heatshield glowing white hot as it sheds the energy of the trip.

Parachutes then unfurl, slowing the spacecraft for splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, where US Navy ships will be waiting to fish the crew and their capsule out of the water.

The crew are carrying out life support system checks aboard the spacecraft. Among the more essential systems being tested is waste management, reported BBC.

“Toilet is powered, waste tank merged,” the astronauts report to mission control.

However, a few minutes later, they note that the toilet’s amber warning light has come on.

Children watch NASA Artemis II launch at museum in Ciudad Juarez during an event organized by the US Consulate General in Mexico.

The next critical stage of the mission is complete — Orion’s solar array wings have successfully deployed.

Each of the four wings carries around 15,000 solar cells, which will now harness solar energy to power the spacecraft throughout its time in Earth’s orbit and on its journey to the Moon.

Looking ahead, another key milestone is expected a few hours into the flight, when the crew will carry out a “test drive” of Orion.

During this phase, the propulsion stage will deliver a series of boosts to the spacecraft before separating.

A child gestures on the day of the launch of the next-generation moon rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion crew capsule, part of NASA’s Artemis II lunar flyby mission, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, in Titusville, Florida, U.S. REUTERS/Marco Bello

People gather on the day of the launch of the next-generation moon rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion crew capsule, part of NASA’s Artemis II lunar flyby mission, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, in Titusville, Florida, U.S. REUTERS/Marco Bello

People watch the launch of NASA’s Artemis II mission to fly by the moon, on a screen at News Corp. plaza in Manhattan, in New York City, US. REUTERS/David ‘Dee’ Delgado

People watch the launch of NASA’s Artemis II mission to fly by the moon on a screen at News Corp. plaza in Manhattan, in New York City. REUTERS/David ‘Dee’ Delgado

In the hour leading up to liftoff, issues with the Launch Abort System briefly threatened the launch.

This critical safety system allows Nasa engineers to eject the astronauts and destroy the rocket in the event of a malfunction.

The countdown clock was held at T-10 minutes while engineers worked to resolve the problem — which they did swiftly.

What followed was the familiar, staccato sequence of calls from engineers responsible for the rocket’s key systems.

One by one, the responses came through: “Booster, go”, “GNC, go”, “Range, go” — each call easing tension and building anticipation.

“Artemis II, this is Launch Director – you are go for launch,” the crew was told. “We go for all humanity,” Commander Reid Wiseman responded.

Moments later, the four RS-25 engines and twin solid rocket boosters ignited in a sheet of flame that seemed to engulf the rocket, generating more than 8.8 million pounds of thrust as it surged into the Florida evening sky.

With Orion now in orbit around Earth, just over half an hour after a spectacular and flawless liftoff from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center, mission managers are assessing flight data.

Flight controllers in Houston have confirmed that all four solar arrays have deployed successfully.

Nasa leaders, clearly buoyed by the success, are set to hold a post-launch press conference at 9 PM ET.

Jared Isaacman, the Nasa administrator, spoke about the Artemis II launch on Nasa TV.

“It’s the opening act, the test mission,” for the Orion spacecraft, he said.

“No humans have ever flown on this. We’re putting it through its paces to make sure it’s OK. It’s going to set up subsequent missions [and] a golden age of science and discovery.”

Watch the lift off of Artemis II, the biggest space mission in 50 years. Nasa will be landing its four-crew member near the moon for the first time.

Watch the LIVE coverage of the Artemis II here:

The pair of solid rocket boosters have been separated from the rocket. The boosters provide 80 per cent of thrust. The Artemis II is now in Earth’s orbit

Within the next couple of minutes they are expected to splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean.

The spacecraft will orbit Earth until flight day two (Thursday, ET) when the translunar injection burn will take place and sent it on the rest of its 240,000-mile journey to the moon.

NASA’s Artemis II mission to fly by the moon, comprising of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion crew capsule, lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, US. Image Credit: Reuters

Nasa has launched Artemis II on a historic crewed mission to the Moon.

The 10-day test flight, which will not land on the lunar surface, is packed with key milestones. It includes the first woman and the first person of color to travel into cislunar space — the region between Earth’s orbit and the Moon.

The mission’s Orion space capsule is set to carry the crew farther from Earth than any humans have ever traveled before.

We have lift off!

The Artemis crew are officially on their way in a historic 10-day mission around the Moon, which could take them further from Earth than anyone has ever been before.

The Artemis II launch was delayed from its scheduled 6:24 PM ET liftoff as mission managers work to resolve a few technical issues. Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson said the team still recommends proceeding with the mission, but a revised launch time has not yet been announced.

Now the countdown has begun at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Polling of mission managers has concluded, officially known as the launch readiness check. New time 6.35pm ET

The verdict is “launch teams are ready to proceed at this time”.

Now it’s the final poll conducted by launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson. Things are good.

She said:

Reid, Victor, Christina and Jeremy, on this historic mission you take the heart of this Artemis team, the daring spirit of of the American people and our partners across the globe, and the hopes and dreams of a new generation.

Good luck, God speed Artemis II. Let’s go.