Four astronauts blasted off from Florida aboard a massive NASA rocket on a long-anticipated journey around the Moon, the first crewed lunar flyby mission in more than 50 years. NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, topped with its Orion crew capsule, roared to life just before sunset at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, carrying its debut crew - three US astronauts and a Canadian astronaut - into Earth orbit.
The 32-story-tall space vehicle thundered into clear skies trailing a towering column of thick, white vapor at 6:35 pm ET. NASA teams and spectators alike cheered on the spacecraft as it ascended away from Earth, a milestone that finally came to fruition after years of delays and massive cost overruns. "We're going to the Moon!" exclaimed one onlooker.
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During final checks before Artemis 2 was deemed a go for launch, astronauts gave brief words: "We are going for all humanity," said the Canadian aboard, Jeremy Hansen. Artemis launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson then addressed the astronauts directly. "Reid, Victor, Christina and Jeremy: On this historic mission, you take with you the heart of this Artemis team, the daring spirit of the American people and our partners across the globe, and the hopes and dreams of a new generation. Good luck. God speed Artemis 2. Let's go," she said.
Liftoff.
— NASA (@NASA) April 1, 2026
The Artemis II mission launched from @NASAKennedy at 6:35pm ET (2235 UTC), propelling four astronauts on a journey around the Moon.
Artemis II will pave the way for future Moon landings, as well as the next giant leap — astronauts on Mars. pic.twitter.com/ENQA4RTqAc
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the launch was an opening act for subsequent missions that would include construction of a moon base to support the "enduring presence we're trying to create on the surface." If the mission proceeds as planned, the crew consisting of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, plus Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, will fly around the moon and back in their nearly 10-day expedition, putting the spacecraft through its paces while venturing deeper into space than humans have ever gone.
The team, clad in bright orange suits with blue trim, includes Americans Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch along with Canadian Hansen. The first steps involving performing various checks to ensure the reliability and safety of the spacecraft -- it has never carried humans before -- before venturing forth on the approximately 10-day journey in which they'll hurtle around the Moon without landing. They will also test its manual piloting capabilities during docking simulations.
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The mission is the debut crewed test flight in the Artemis program, successor to NASA's Cold War-era Apollo project, and the world's first to send astronauts in the vicinity of the moon, out of Earth's orbit, in 53 years. The last time astronauts walked on the moon - a feat so far achieved only by the United States - was the final Apollo mission in 1972.
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