Since the tragedy of Space Shuttle Challenger in 1986, I always hold my breath until they make it to outer space.
This achievement was a long time coming. It’s been 54 years since the last Apollo mission returned to Earth, and humans have not left low-Earth orbit since. Over the next nine days, the Artemis 2 astronauts will venture deeper into space than the Apollo missions ever did, swinging around the far side of the Moon and back to Earth.
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Today, tanking both the core and upper stages of the rocket went remarkably smoothly, with no major leaks or issues. Now that Orion is finally in space, humanity is poised to return to the Moon. If everything goes as planned over the next several hours, the ICPS will perform burns to boost the spacecraft’s orbit in preparation for the translunar injection.
Open thread.
