Houston is a 'go' for crucial translunar injection burn
Mission Control in Houston has given the final “go” for the translunar injection burn. The Artemis II crew said they are a “go” for the burn.
Mission Control told the astronauts, “When the engine ignites, you embark on humanity’s lunar homecoming arc and set the course to return Integrity and her crew safely home. Houston is go for TLS.”
Astronaut Christina Koch replied, “Crew is go for TLI. With this burn to the moon, we do not leave Earth, we choose it."
-ABC News' Matthew Glasser
Apr 02, 2026, 5:51 PM EDT
Breaking down Artemis II moon mission terms, jargon and what they mean
Following the path of Artemis II may be confusing as the astronauts, mission control and others use specific jargon and phrases.
Here are explanations of some of the terminology people may hear over the course of the mission:
Translunar injection burn
The translunar injection burn is the final step that sends the crew on the path to the moon, committing the Orion spacecraft to the remainder of its 10-day mission.
Lasting just minutes, it's a single-engine firing that propels the spacecraft out of Earth's orbit and on a "free-return trajectory."
NASA launched a new space toilet, the Universal Waste Management System (UWMS), to the International Space Station on Northrop Grumman’s 14th contract resupply mission in September. Another UWMS unit will be installed in Orion for the Artemis II flight test that will send astronauts on a 10-day mission beyond the Moon and back.
NASA
Universal waste management system
The universal waste management system, otherwise known as a space toilet, is located inside a stall just like in a public restroom on Earth, according to NASA.
Space toilets use air flow to pull urine and feces away and into receptacles, which are stored for disposal. The astronauts have a handlebar to hold themselves down while using the toilet in the absence of gravity.
Read more here about the terms and jargon you may come across during the Artemis II mission.
Apr 02, 2026, 5:51 PM EDT
Get to know Christina Koch, the 1st female astronaut to travel around the moon
NASA astronaut Christina Koch is making history as the first woman to travel around the moon.
Koch, 47, is among the four-person crew aboard the Orion spacecraft for NASA's Artemis II mission, which lifted off Wednesday evening from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a 10-day journey.
Astronaut Christina Koch smiles as she talks to family members as she leaves the Operations and Checkout Building for a trip to Launch Pad 39-B and a planned liftoff on NASA's Artemis II moon rocket at the Kennedy Space Center, on April 1, 2026, in Cape Canaveral, Fla.
Chris O'Meara/AP
Koch, who was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and grew up in Jacksonville, North Carolina, is no stranger to record-setting NASA missions.
Koch was first selected as a NASA astronaut in 2013. In December 2019, she set the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, spending 328 consecutive days in space, according to NASA, and was part of the first all-female spacewalk in October 2019 with Jessica Meir.
After a successful launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday evening, the Artemis II crew of four is headed to the moon on a 10-day journey.
How does a nearly 6 million-pound rocket and crew module make that journey possible? It’s all about physics.
Read more here to learn about the stages from liftoff to Earth orbit to the trans-lunar injection burn and, finally, the journey home.
