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Humanity has begun its journey back to the Moon as four astronauts launched from Florida’s Kennedy Space Centre on Wednesday.
The mission, known as Artemis 2, marks the first crewed lunar flyby in over 50 years.
A massive orange-and-white Space Launch System (SLS) rocket carried the international team into the sky at 6:35 pm local time, overcoming years of technical setbacks and budget challenges to achieve this milestone.
The diverse crew includes Americans Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, alongside Canadian Jeremy Hansen.
NASA’s Artemis II rocket, with the Orion spacecraft atop carrying NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, lifted off from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39B in Florida at 6:35 p.m. EDT to…
— NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (@NASAKennedy) April 1, 2026
Their 10-day mission is historic for several reasons: it will send the first woman, the first person of colour, and the first non-American to the Moon.
Additionally, the team is expected to travel farther from Earth than any previous human spaceflight.
During the journey, they will conduct critical safety checks and docking simulations to verify the spacecraft’s performance before future landing missions.
This launch arrives amid significant political and geopolitical pressure.
President Donald Trump, who has pushed for a lunar landing before the end of his term in early 2029, celebrated the event on social media as a sign of American dominance.
The mission is seen as a vital step in the modern space race, as the U.S. aims to establish a permanent lunar base ahead of China’s own 2030 moon-landing goals.
Despite the excitement of the launch, the national mood remains complex.
While hundreds of thousands gathered along the “Space Coast” to witness the event, the president was simultaneously preparing for a prime-time address regarding the ongoing war with Iran and the resulting global energy crisis.
Nevertheless, for the Artemis team, the successful liftoff represents the culmination of a generation’s hopes and an essential test for the future of deep-space exploration.
