Four Artemis astronauts are on course for the moon after a powerful engine burn sent NASA's Orion capsule onto a 10-day lunar flyby, the first crewed mission of its kind in more than 50 years.

The near 6-minute firing, described by NASA as flawless, placed the crew on a gravity-assisted "free-return" path around the moonand back to Earth. Astronauts reported breathtaking views of Earth and the moon while coping with minor technical issues aboard the spacecraft.