Launch - LC-39B
MET +0.0h
SLS lifts off from Kennedy Space Center.
Artemis 2 Mission Timeline
Launch, parking orbit, translunar injection, lunar blackout, free-return, and reentry are mapped against the mission elapsed time clock.
MECO + LAS Jettison
MET +0.1h
Core stage separation and ascent abort system jettison.
Solar Array Deploy
MET +0.3h
Orion deploys all four solar arrays.
ICPS Burns
MET +0.8h
Parking orbit raise and setup burns.
Proximity Ops Demo
MET +4.5h
Crew tests Orion handling near the ICPS stage.
ICPS Disposal
MET +5.5h
Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage disposal maneuver.
High Earth Orbit
MET +24.0h
Crew completes checkout while in high Earth orbit.
Translunar Injection
MET +25.5h
A 30-minute burn sends Orion toward the Moon.
Trajectory Correction 1
MET +72.0h
Outbound mid-course correction burn.
Trajectory Correction 2
MET +96.0h
Pre-flyby trim burn before lunar encounter.
Lunar SOI Entry
MET +118.0h
Orion enters the Moon gravitational sphere of influence.
Closest Approach - Moon
MET +130.0h
Approx. 9,650 km above the lunar surface.
Human Distance Record
MET +131.0h
Projected to exceed the Apollo 13 distance record.
Far Side Blackout
MET +132.0h
Communications blackout behind the Moon for about 45 minutes.
Free-Return Slingshot
MET +140.0h
Lunar gravity redirects Orion back toward Earth.
Radiation Shielding Test
MET +192.0h
Crew conducts deep-space radiation surveys.
Reentry Preparation
MET +216.0h
Cabin and recovery systems are configured for return.
CM / SM Separation
MET +232.0h
Crew module separates from service module.
Atmospheric Reentry
MET +233.5h
Heat shield reaches peak thermal load.
Splashdown - Pacific Ocean
MET +234.0h
Recovery forces retrieve the Orion crew module.