Artemis II begins its journey to the moon

Artemis II heads to the moon: Four astronauts on the Artemis II mission are on their way to journey around the moon after successfully conducting the translunar injection burn, or TLI. They are expected to spend about eight more days in space.

• What the astronauts said: “Humanity has once again shown what we are capable of, and it’s your hopes for the future that carry us now on this journey around the moon,” Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen said in the crew’s first words since they set course. “With this burn to the moon, we do not leave Earth. We choose it,” astronaut Christina Koch said before TLI.

• Why this mission matters: The historic and risky lunar venture will mark the first time astronauts return to the vicinity of the moon in more than 50 years. The mission could travel farther from Earth than any human ever has, breaking the Apollo program’s distance record. Here’s what to expect on each day of the mission.