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"Artemis II" leaves the orbit of the Earth and is already on its way to the moon

Crew travel back to the Moon after 50 years, but no landing is planned.

(Foto de ARCHIVO)

01 April 2026, US, Merritt Island: The NASA Artemis II Space Launch System rocket with the Orion spacecraft lifts off from Launch Pad 39-B at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral. Photo: Jennifer Briggs/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa



Jennifer Briggs/ZUMA Press Wire/ DPA

01/4/2026 ONLY FOR USE IN SPAIN
Artemis II taking off. Photo: Europa Press.

The ship Orion, used on the Artemis II mission, began its journey to the Moon on Thursday, a milestone for humanity, as a ship will reach the Moon for the first time since 1972.

The takeoff lasted 5 minutes and 49 seconds , during which time the ship reached a speed of 388 metres per second.

Thus, the four astronauts that make up the Artemis II mission are the first humans to leave the orbit of the Earth since the Apollo 17 mission, the first in the last 54 years. Unlike the current ones, no landing is planned, but a 10-day journey around the satellite.

Crews will travel more than 400,000 kilometers before crossing the hidden face of the moon, breaking the record achieved by Apollo 13.

The mission aims to establish a permanent presence on the Moon and to prepare future missions to Mars , thus establishing a new stage in space exploration by the Artemis II mission.

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