NASA launched the Artemis II mission on Wednesday evening from Kennedy Space Center, sending astronauts toward the moon for the first time in nearly 54 years.

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The rocket successfully lifted off from Florida’s Space Coast and placed the crew aboard the Orion spacecraft into Earth orbit. The capsule will circle the planet until a planned engine burn on Thursday that will push it onto a trajectory toward the moon, beginning the next stage of the roughly 240,000-mile journey.

Historic Return Beyond Earth Orbit

Inside the spacecraft, the astronauts immediately started checking onboard systems following the climb to orbit, which reached speeds of about 17,500 miles per hour. Mission controllers in Houston later confirmed that Orion’s four solar arrays had deployed correctly, ensuring a steady power supply during the mission.

The flight marks the first time humans have travelled beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in December 1972.

Crew Set for Record-Breaking Journey

Commander Reid Wiseman said before launch that the mission had been long anticipated.

“The nation, and the world, has been waiting a long time to do this again,” he told reporters at Kennedy Space Center.

The crew includes three Americans and one Canadian: Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency.

Their ten-day flight will loop around the moon but will not attempt a landing. The mission still carries several milestones. Koch will become the first woman to travel into cislunar space, the region between Earth’s orbit and the moon, while Glover will be the first person of colour to do so. Hansen will be the first non-American astronaut to reach the same region.

During the journey the astronauts are expected to travel farther from Earth than any humans before them. At its most distant point, Orion could reach roughly 253,000 miles from Earth—surpassing the record of 248,655 miles set during the troubled Apollo 13 mission in 1970.

Mission Tests Future Moon Plans

NASA officials view Artemis II as a key step toward returning humans to the lunar surface later this decade.

During the flyby, the crew will photograph areas near the moon’s south pole from an altitude between 4,000 and 6,000 miles. Those regions are being studied as potential landing zones and sites for a future lunar base.

The mission also serves as a major systems test. Astronauts will evaluate life-support equipment, spacecraft controls, and other hardware required for later flights, including Artemis IV, a planned mission intended to place astronauts on the moon again.

The astronauts will spend the entire journey inside Orion’s compact living space, roughly the size of a small camper van. Medical teams will track the crew’s health throughout the mission, examining the effects of radiation and microgravity.

Wiseman acknowledged that the confined conditions could prove challenging during the trip.

“By day six, seven, eight or nine we might feel like we need space,” he said, adding that the crew had trained closely together to manage such situations.

Crowds Gather for Launch

The launch drew huge crowds along Florida’s Space Coast. Beaches and causeways near Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach filled with spectators eager to watch the rocket lift off.

Local officials estimated that up to 400,000 people gathered to witness the launch, filling hotels and public viewing areas.

For NASA, the mission signals the revival of human exploration beyond Earth orbit and lays groundwork for future lunar operations. Agency administrator Jared Isaacman recently outlined plans for a permanent presence on the moon, including a proposed $20 billion lunar base by the end of the decade.

“What we learn from these missions will help enable America’s return to the lunar surface,” Isaacman said earlier this year.

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Adapted by ASEAN Now. Source 2 April 2026

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Wishing the Artemis II astronauts a successful mission and a safe return to Earth.

It’s incredible to see what humans are capable of achieving—truly inspiring! 🌕🚀

I wonder why they wouldn't land on the moon.

I mean they did it over 50 years ago in a piece of scaffolding covered in tin foil. Should be a doddle now with all the new technology, right?

8 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

I wonder why they wouldn't land on the moon.

I mean they did it over 50 years ago in a piece of scaffolding covered in tin foil. Should be a doddle now with all the new technology, right?

All that 50 year old tech was lost. Too difficult to remake old tech like that i guess.

1 minute ago, blaze master said:

All that 50 year old tech was lost. Too difficult to remake old tech like that i guess.

Yeah - plus all the engineers died or retired.

These guys could send man to the moon but they couldn't make notes or file them apparently.

All done on the back of a cigarette packet.

Sounds legit.😃

5 minutes ago, blaze master said:

12 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

I wonder why they wouldn't land on the moon.

I mean they did it over 50 years ago in a piece of scaffolding covered in tin foil. Should be a doddle now with all the new technology, right?

All that 50 year old tech was lost. Too difficult to remake old tech like that i guess.

Not just the tech, but also engineers who could do it.

I suppose they're starting from scratch in many ways. If so, it makes sense to do it in phases, like:

1. Go to the Moon, fly by and return safely.

2. Go to the Moon, land, take off, return safely.

1 minute ago, BeastOfBodmin said:

Not just the tech, but also engineers who could do it.

I suppose they're starting from scratch in many ways. If so, it makes sense to do it in phases, like:

1. Go to the Moon, fly by and return safely.

2. Go to the Moon, land, take off, return safely.

So no new engineers in today's world who could replicate it ? Seems a little odd to me. Did the original engineers have access to some sort of special schooling ?

10 minutes ago, BeastOfBodmin said:

Not just the tech, but also engineers who could do it.

I suppose they're starting from scratch in many ways. If so, it makes sense to do it in phases, like:

1. Go to the Moon, fly by and return safely.

2. Go to the Moon, land, take off, return safely.

Yes must be really tough with the unbelievable advances in metallurgy and technology since the 1960s.

No way they could do it without those exact same 1960s engineers on the job. Simply impossible.

35 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

I wonder why they wouldn't land on the moon.

I mean they did it over 50 years ago in a piece of scaffolding covered in tin foil. Should be a doddle now with all the new technology, right?

It's a whole new rocket system! You wouldn't expect Boeing or Airbus to just sell a plane without testing it first? So yes, they sent it up a couple times empty, now they're flying it manned to the Moon and back - hopefully. If it all works at some point they'll land on the Moon.

1 hour ago, JonnyF said:

I wonder why they wouldn't land on the moon.

NASA did the same thing before Apollo 11 landed on the moon.

Apollo's 8 and 10 orbited the moon without landing.

1 hour ago, Stocky said:

It's a whole new rocket system! You wouldn't expect Boeing or Airbus to just sell a plane without testing it first? So yes, they sent it up a couple times empty, now they're flying it manned to the Moon and back - hopefully. If it all works at some point they'll land on the Moon.

Those 2 just troll. it absolutely makes perfect sense to do this perilous endeavor in stages to work the bugs out of the craft and it helps in managing the risk.I hope they have a safe productive journey and safe return!!

So I'm told this is a hoax, same as before – when does the "reality" become a hoax?

27 minutes ago, kwilco said:

So I'm told this is a hoax, same as before – when does the "reality" become a hoax?

Who/what told you that?

Were you weeing your tin foil hat at the time?

1 hour ago, scottiejohn said:

Who/what told you that?

Were you weeing your tin foil hat at the time?

Rattlesnake told me

2 minutes ago, kwilco said:

Rattlesnake told me

And there was me thinking that you were a responsible AN member who would not fall for a snake oil salesman!

😂

PS: Maybe it was a subtle attempt by you to warn AN people off from it's theories!

4 hours ago, blaze master said:

So no new engineers in today's world who could replicate it ? Seems a little odd to me. Did the original engineers have access to some sort of special schooling ?

Too many diversity hires!

15 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Too many diversity hires!

Indeed, all those Nazi German rocket scientists

5 hours ago, BeastOfBodmin said:

Not just the tech, but also engineers who could do it.

I suppose they're starting from scratch in many ways. If so, it makes sense to do it in phases, like:

1. Go to the Moon, fly by and return safely.

2. Go to the Moon, land, take off, return safely.

So what's your position? The old one was a hoax, but this one isn't....

Most of my sources tell me this is a hoax too...Apparently it starts when the "contraption" is "out of visibility" – I'm not sure what that means. I thought thelast one was genuine, but I'm watching this one very closely to see when the hoax gets going.

I was hoping either Stiddle Mump, Rattlesnake, Red Phoenix or Save the Frogs could tell us.

I still remember watching the moon landings first time round in the 1960s/70s.

One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind!

Trump has to be very careful with what he says about the moonshot, as half of his followers think it's a hoax!

Things the Europeans can’t do for $500

Why is America always in the lead? Merica right there.

1 hour ago, EVENKEEL said:

Why is America always in the lead? Merica right there.

Yeah! on the road to nowhere!

Billions of wasted tax dollars that could go to fixing things that need to be.

How to scare your astronaut colleagues: Quick turnaround. I forgot my Immodium. 😀

30 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Billions of wasted tax dollars that could go to fixing things that need to be.

Could have just hired someone like a modern day Stanley Kubrick and taken a few dodgy photos, same as last time.

22 hours ago, webfact said:

The rocket successfully lifted off from Florida’s Space Coast and placed the crew aboard the Orion spacecraft into Earth orbit.

The Earth’s sling provided ~5% of the required velocity as a “free ride” due to the eastward launch trajectory of the rotational boost.

All fake. The Earth is flat. Imagine having a brain that allows you to think this way yet there are some that do. The launch was massive sadly the camera work and direction team left a lot to be desired e.g. they showed a crowd shot (human interest) as the boosters separated.

For flat earthers: If the earth is flat, why does an eclipse of the moon, where the earth's shadow passes over the moon, look curved?

15 hours ago, Stocky said:

Indeed, all those Nazi German rocket scientists

Wrong century mate.