After a successful launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday evening, the Artemis II crew of four is headed to the moon on a 10-day journey.

How does a nearly 6 million-pound rocket and crew module make that journey possible? It’s all about physics.

Read more here to learn about the stages from liftoff to Earth orbit to the trans-lunar injection burn and, finally, the journey home.

-ABC News' Briana Alvarado

The Artemis II mission management team has polled "go" for the crucial trans-lunar injection burn, which will send the crew on its path to the moon.

The burn will take place at 7:49 p.m. ET.

-ABC News' Matthew Glasser

NASA's Mission Control in Houston just awakened the Artemis II crew with the song "Green Light," by John Legend featuring the rapper André 3000. The astronauts also received voice messages from members of the NASA workforce.

The crew will begin flight day 2 activities and operations, including exercise time, and is now approximately 20 hours into the mission.

In the next few hours, the Artemis II mission management team will decide whether to proceed with the trans-lunar injection burn that will send Orion on its path to the moon.

In response to the musical wakeup, Artemis II mission commander Reid Wiseman replied, "Houston, Integrity, we are ready to go, and that was awesome. Thank you for all those messages."

-ABC News' Matthew Glasser

The Artemis II mission management team will meet shortly to make a pivotal "go" or "no-go" decision for the trans-lunar injection (TLI) burn.

If it's a "go" for the TLI, the burn will occur Thursday at 7:49:50 p.m. ET. This burn commits the Orion spacecraft to the remainder of its 10-day mission.

The TLI burn is the final major engine firing of the Artemis II mission. It will propel Orion on its path toward the moon, setting it on a free-return trajectory that will carry it around the far side of the moon and back to Earth using gravity as an assist. It will also ensure that the spacecraft returns to Earth, even if a system failure occurs.

The main engine on Orion's service module, known as the Orbital Maneuvering System engine, will provide 6,000 pounds of thrust during the nearly six-minute burn. That's enough power to accelerate a car from zero to 60 miles per hour in just 2.7 seconds.

-ABC News' Matthew Glasser

The four Artemis II astronauts are suiting up, officially stepping into their Orion Crew Survival System (OCCS) spacesuits as they prepare for their long-awaited launch.

These specialized suits are worn during the most critical phases of flight: liftoff and reentry.

The astronauts are also undergoing leak checks to ensure that their suits are airtight. They conduct a total of three leak checks in the suit-up room and then three more checks once in the Orion crew capsule, according to NASA.

-ABC News' Briana Alvarado