Artemis II starts to leave Earth’s orbit and shoots to the moon - The Washington Post

NASA's Artemis II mission has begun its journey to the moon, departing Earth's orbit after months of preparation and testing. The crewed lunar mission represents the next phase of the Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the moon and establish a foundation for deep-space exploration. Artemis II will carry astronauts closer to the lunar surface than any crewed mission since the Apollo era, testing critical systems and procedures before a planned landing attempt on a future mission. The mission's success is essential for NASA's timeline to return astronauts to the moon and eventually support longer-term lunar operations and missions to Mars.