Artemis II Flight Day 3: First Trajectory Correction Burn Cancelled — Orion on Perfect Path
Flight controllers at Johnson Space Center elected to cancel the first planned outbound trajectory correction burn scheduled for Flight Day 3, April 3. Orion was already on the correct free-return flight path toward the Moon with no adjustment needed — a testament to the precision of the SLS trans-lunar injection burn. The crew spent Day 3 preparing the cabin for the upcoming lunar flyby, exercising, practicing medical response procedures, and testing the spacecraft's emergency communications system in deep space. Commander Reid Wiseman captured and shared breathtaking photos of Earth taken from inside the Orion spacecraft — the first such imagery since the Apollo era. The astronauts also had their first private conversations with family members since departing Earth, a planned milestone in crew mental health protocols for long-duration spaceflight.
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- T1 NASA Artemis Blog: Flight Day 3 — Crew Prepares for First Correction Burn (Apr 3, 2026) Official western
- T1 NASA Artemis Blog: Flight Day 3 — Crew Prepares Cabin for Lunar Flyby (Apr 3, 2026) Official western
- T2 CNN: Artemis II — astronauts en route to Moon; what's next (Apr 3, 2026) Major western