Artemis II hit a key milestone Thursday when Orion ignited its engine, propelling the crew on a trip that will reach deeper into space than any human has traveled.

The engine firing provided a slingshot-like boost to the Orion capsule, speeding it up to some 25,000 mph, the velocity needed to break free of Earth's gravitational clasp for a trek to the moon.

The Artemis II mission is the first time humans have headed to the moon since 1972. That year also marked the debut of The Godfather and the Egg McMuffin.

As of Thursday, April 2, the Moon phase is North America is Waning Gibbous, according to NASA's Daily Moon Guide.

A key engine burn Thursday is expected to put NASA's Artemis II astronauts on an irreversible path around the moon.

Track the progress of the Artemis II mission with the latest updates and news from the historic mission to the moon's orbit.

Amid ongoing toilet trouble, the Artemis II astronauts reflected on the wonder of sailing through deep space to the moon.

The Artemis 2 mission is due to send astronauts on a test mission to the moon and back during the "opening act" of a new age of discovery.

NASA's Artemis 2 has launched on a history-making journey around the moon and back, and the moment was captured from space.

The Artemis II, which launched from Kennedy Space Center, sends a four-person crew around the Moon and back. The mission marks the first crewed lunar mission in over 50 years and making Koch the first woman to travel that far into deep space.