Orion's interior space is equivalent to that of two minivans, NASA says. That's a lot more breathing room than space capsules of the 1960s and '70s.

NASA's Artemis II mission completes a critical engine burn, propelling the Orion spacecraft and its four-person crew out of Earth orbit toward the moon.

Victor Glover, a former Navy test pilot, carefully maneuvered the Orion capsule in space around a discarded rocket stage. The demonstration is crucial for future moon landing missions.

The Artemis II mission is using NASA’s Orion spacecraft, which is designed to carry astronauts farther into space than previous generations of vehicles. With this milestone decision, the crew is now set to leave Earth’s immediate surroundings and begin their journey around Earth’s closest celestial neighbor.

Aerospace engineers here in Western New York are focused on the blazing return to earth for the Artemis II mission.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla.—This will be the third time I have observed NASA’s Orion spacecraft take flight. But with this one, for the first time, am I genuinely hopeful about the future of the space agency and its plans to build a station on the surface of the Moon.

Artemis II astronauts have left Earth's orbit for the Moon after fixing a toilet issue aboard NASA's Orion spacecraft.

It's a beautiful sight." The four astronauts on the Artemis II mission are now closer to the moon than they are to Earth, the first time humans have even approached the moon for more than half a century.