Historic Artemis II Mission Launches Astronauts Toward the Moon

The Artemis II mission has successfully launched four astronauts on a groundbreaking journey to the moon, marking the first crewed flight of NASA's Artemis program since the Apollo era. The Orion spacecraft ignited its engine, propelling the crew into a 'free return trajectory' that will take them farther into space than any humans have traveled since 1972. This mission includes NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, making it a milestone for diversity in space exploration. Over the next week, the crew will conduct various tests and experiments while sharing live updates with the public, including a significant lunar flyby that will set a new distance record from Earth.

Key Details: • Launch occurred at 6:35 p.m. ET on Wednesday. • Crew includes the first Black astronaut, woman astronaut, and non-American astronaut to reach this distance. • Live broadcasts from the crew will occur nearly every day; check NASA's schedule for times. • The mission will cross the lunar sphere of influence on Day 5, Sunday. • Expected lunar flyby on Day 6 will surpass Apollo 13's distance record.