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.

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.

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.

The full moon happens about once a month. Find out when.

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.

The 10-day mission will take humans further into space than ever before, and it is designed to test many of the technologies that Nasa will use for Artemis IV, scheduled to place astronauts on the Moon in 2028. That would be for the first time since the last Apollo landing in 1972.

The Artemis II astronauts, after saying goodbye to family and friends, were strapped into their seats aboard the Orion spacecraft by early afternoon, hours before the launch window opened at 6:24 p.m. Eastern time. As the astronauts sat, NASA continued with checks to ensure the safety of the crew before liftoff.

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