Artemis II Flight Update: Apogee Raise Burn Complete, Crew Looks Ahead to Proximity Operations - NASA
By Joseph Zakrzewski
Published on April 2, 2026.
The Orion spacecraft has completed a successful apogee raise burn to increase its orbit around Earth. The Artemis II crew is now preparing for a proximity operations demonstration, which will test the spacecraft's ability to manually maneuver relative to another spacecraft after separation. The demonstration will involve the detached upper stage of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and a series of moves using an ICPS target. The spacecraft will then perform an automated departure burn to move away from the ICPS before returning to Earth.
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