NASA Artemis II historic rocket launch: Spacecraft successfully enters Earth orbit

NASA Artemis II mission has been lifted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 6:35pm ET (2235 UTC), propelling four astronauts on a journey around the Moon.

According to a recent update, the spacecraft has successfully entered orbit around the Earth. It will remain in orbit for the next 24 hours. As per a NASA official, the crew is “safe, secure, and in great spirits.”

In the hours spent in high Earth orbit, the crew members will carry out extensive checks before moving towards the moon. The safety tests will include Orion’s propulsion, life-support, navigation, and communication to ensure the readiness of spacecraft before “translunar injection.”

Known as a major engine burn, the translunar injection will push Orion out of Earth’s grip towards the moon.

As reported by BBC, Wednesday's NASA Artemis rocket launch was also full of challenges.

The technical challenges before the rocket launch include the issues with the flight termination system and battery for the Launch Abort System, which give the crew option to pull the capsule away from danger.

Since the 1972 Apollo mission, this is the first crewed lunar mission launched by NASA in over 50 years.

Unlike Apollo, this mission will not involve the landing of humans on the moon. During the 10-day mission, the astronauts will only fly around the moon, encircle it while reaching a distance of over 248,000 miles from Earth, the greatest distance from Earth during this stage.