NASA has successfully launched the Artemis II mission, sending four astronauts on a historic 10‑day voyage around the Moon—the first crewed lunar-bound flight since Apollo 17 in 1972. The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket lifted off from Kennedy Space Center at 6:35 p.m. EDT after teams resolved a last‑minute safety system issue, clearing the way for a mission designed to test every critical system needed for future lunar landings.
Commanded by Reid Wiseman, the crew includes pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch—who will become the first woman to travel to the Moon—and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, the first non‑American to fly beyond low‑Earth orbit. Together, they bring decades of combined experience, from spacewalks to naval aviation, representing NASA’s most diverse deep‑space crew to date.
Shortly after launch, the Orion spacecraft separated from its upper stage and transitioned communications to NASA’s Deep Space Network—the first time in 50 years a crewed spacecraft has traveled far enough to require it. The crew has already manually piloted Orion as part of a systems test and reported an “amazing ride” during ascent. Over the coming hours, they will complete a 25‑hour systems checkout before executing the crucial trans‑lunar injection burn that will push Orion out of Earth orbit and onto a trajectory toward the Moon.
Across the 10‑day mission, the astronauts will conduct emergency drills, evaluate life‑support systems, and travel as far as 230,000 miles from Earth before performing a lunar flyby. The mission will not land on the Moon but will pave the way for Artemis IV, which aims to return astronauts to the lunar surface in 2028.
Artemis II also launches at a pivotal moment for NASA. The agency recently announced a program‑wide reset to address delays, heat‑shield issues, and cost overruns—making this crewed flight a critical proving ground for the next phase of lunar exploration and the long‑term goal of establishing a permanent Moon base.
As the spacecraft begins its journey, NASA officials say Artemis II marks not just a return to the Moon, but the opening chapter of a new era in human space exploration.
