Florida (TDI): NASA has successfully sent four astronauts on its landmark Artemis II mission, marking the first human journey toward the Moon in more than five decades.
The mission lifted off from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral aboard the powerful Space Launch System rocket, carrying the Orion crew capsule into orbit. The crew includes NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
This nearly 10-day mission will take the astronauts on a journey around the Moon and back, pushing deeper into space than any human mission before. It is the first crewed flight under NASA’s Artemis programme, which aims to establish a long-term human presence on the lunar surface and eventually support missions to Mars.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman described the launch as a major step toward future missions, including the development of a sustained human presence on the Moon. The Artemis programme, initiated in 2017, is designed as a successor to the historic Apollo program, which last landed humans on the Moon in 1972.
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During the flight, the Orion spacecraft will undergo a series of critical tests, including manual manoeuvring, to ensure it can safely carry astronauts on future deep-space missions. The mission serves as a key rehearsal for upcoming lunar landings, with NASA targeting a return to the Moon’s south pole later this decade.
The Artemis II crew is expected to travel approximately 406,000 kilometres into space, surpassing previous records set during earlier lunar missions. Their journey represents a major milestone in global space exploration and comes amid renewed competition, particularly with China, which is also planning crewed lunar missions in the coming years.
The launch also marks a significant validation of NASA’s Space Launch System, developed in collaboration with major aerospace companies, as the agency pushes forward with its ambitious deep-space exploration goals.
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US President Donald Trump praised the mission, calling the astronauts “brave” and wishing them success as they embark on this historic journey.
Overall, Artemis II represents a crucial step toward humanity’s return to the Moon, laying the groundwork for sustained exploration and future interplanetary missions.
