NASA has launched its Artemis II mission from Florida, sending four astronauts on a journey around the Moon, marking the first time humans have traveled this far in more than 50 years.
The Space Launch System rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft lifted off from Kennedy Space Center at 6:35 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday. This mission is the first crewed flight under NASA’s Artemis program.
The crew includes NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along with Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. The launch faced a short pause during the countdown at the 10-minute mark, but it resumed shortly after without major issues.
Artemis II is designed to test important systems needed for deep space travel. One of its main goals is to check Orion’s life support systems and allow astronauts to practise key operations that will be used in future Moon missions, including Artemis III.
During the mission, the spacecraft will travel about 7,400 kilometres beyond the far side of the Moon before heading back to Earth. This means the astronauts will go farther from Earth than any humans have since the Apollo era.
The return journey will be especially challenging. Orion is expected to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere at around 25,000 miles per hour, facing extreme heat of about 5,000 degrees, before safely landing in the Pacific Ocean.
Throughout the mission, the crew will test the spacecraft’s performance, practise emergency procedures, and capture images of the Moon’s far side.
This mission also marks several historic milestones. It includes the first woman, the first African-American astronau,t and the first Canadian to travel to the Moon.
Artemis II is an important step in NASA’s long-term plan to return humans to the Moon and build a lasting presence there. The program aims to eventually send astronauts to the Moon’s south pole and later push forward to Mars.
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The Artemis missions follow the Apollo program, which sent astronauts to the Moon between 1968 and 1972. NASA now hopes to build on that legacy and begin a new era of human space exploration.
