The perigee raise burn is complete, marking another planned orbital adjustment in the early hours of the Artemis II mission.
After a brief rest period, the crew was awakened to monitor the Orion spacecraft’s systems through the burn. The ground team woke them at 7:06 a.m. EDT with the song “Sleepyhead” by Young and Sick.
The spacecraft ignited its service module’s main engine for 43 seconds, raising the lowest point of its orbit and refining the trajectory as it continues to circle Earth. This critical burn placed Orion, named Integrity by the Artemis II crew, into a stable high Earth orbit that aligns with its path to the Moon. The crew members will now move back into their rest period for another four and a half hours before they are again awakened to start their first full day in space.
Later today, the mission management team will gather for its first meeting of the mission to assess the spacecraft’s systems and will give their approval for the upcoming translunar injection burn that will send astronauts out of Earth orbit and toward the Moon for the first time since 1972.
During the translunar injection burn, Orion will ignite its engines for just over six minutes, accelerating the spacecraft to escape Earth’s gravitational pull. Flight controllers will closely monitor engine performance, guidance, and navigation data throughout the maneuver to ensure Orion remains precisely aligned for the outbound journey.
