Artemis II crew breaks out of Earth orbit, heads for the moon

TL;DR

Artemis II astronauts successfully completed their trans-lunar injection (TLI) burn, leaving Earth orbit.
The TLI maneuver boosted the Orion capsule's velocity to 24,500 mph, setting the crew on a free-return trajectory to the moon.
The crew, including commander Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen, reported a successful burn and shared their awe at the views of Earth.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman envisions making moon flights a twice-yearly occurrence with the goal of building a U.S. base near the lunar south pole.
Artemis II is the first crewed mission to head for the moon since 1972 and is expected to travel farther from Earth than any previous mission.
The mission's primary goal is to test the Orion spacecraft and associated protocols for future moon landing missions.
NASA plans to accelerate the launch rate to achieve moon landings every six months and invest $20 billion over seven years for this initiative.

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