Artemis II lifts off on the first crewed moon mission in decades

Artemis II Launches Manned Test Flight Around The Moon CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA - APRIL 01: NASA's 322-foot-tall Artemis II Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft lifts off from Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center on April 01, 2026 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The 10-day mission will take NASA astronauts Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover and Mission Specialist Christina Koch and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen around the moon and back. If all goes according to plan, the astronauts will fly 230,000 miles out into space, the farthest any human has ever traveled from Earth. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
By Heather Taylor

The Artemis II rocket has successfully launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

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In this historic mission, four astronauts will be sent around the far side of the moon and back, marking NASA’s first manned mission toward the moon in more than 55 years. Astronauts last traveled to the moon during Apollo 17 in 1972.

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Heather Taylor

Heather Taylor

Digital Content Manager

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