NASA launches Artemis II, first crewed moon mission since 1972
NASA launched Artemis II, the first crewed mission around the moon since 1972, with four astronauts on a historic 10-day journey from Florida.
NASA has launched the Artemis II mission, marking the first crewed flight around the moon in over 50 years. On Wednesday, after a brief delay due to technical issues, a rocket lifted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canada's Jeremy Hansen. As part of their 10-day journey, the astronauts will circle the moon and return to Earth in an Orion capsule. This mission is the first crewed venture beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972, a historic milestone in space exploration that revitalizes NASA's efforts to return to the moon and eventually reach Mars.
