Artemis II Flight Day 7: First Return Correction Burn Complete — Orion Exits Lunar Sphere of Influence

Flight Day 7 marked the beginning of the homeward leg of Artemis II. At approximately 1:25 p.m. EDT, Orion exited the lunar sphere of gravitational influence at 41,072 miles from the Moon — transitioning the spacecraft fully under Earth's gravity. Mission controllers executed the first return trajectory correction burn earlier in the day: a 15-second thruster firing that produced a velocity change of approximately 1.6 feet per second (0.5 m/s), refining Orion's course for re-entry. The USS John P. Murtha, the designated recovery vessel, departed port and was underway toward a midway point in the Pacific Ocean. NASA officials held a media briefing at Johnson Space Center with Flight Director Rick Henfling providing updates on return trajectory and splash-down readiness. The crew — Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen — remained in excellent health, settling in for a rest period before busy final days of the mission.