The 3-stage rocket will develop 7.5 million pounds of thrust in its first stage alone as it attempts to accelerate the vehicle to the required escape velocity of 25,000 mph. From here all systems are rechecked before commiting to a translunar flight.
All teams begin their assigned tasks.
The spacecraft breaks out of Earth orbit and establishes a translunar trajectory, or path toward the Moon. This is the single longest phase of the mission. The data retreived from the probe is vital to the selection of a landing site in the final stages of the mission. Teams identify and discuss internal communication and procedure problems, and decide which tasks to begin with as the second half of the mission begins. The translunar phase concludes, and the spacecraft enters a stable lunar parking orbit at an altitude of 60 miles above the Moon's surface.