Liftoff! Artemis II Astronauts Begin Historic Moon Mission

Crew starts journey that will take it farther from Earth than any human has ventured.

Jack Daleo

Thursday, April 02, 2026 at 09:32 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion crew capsule carrying four astronauts blast off from Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 6:35 p.m. EDT. [Credit: NASA | Joel Kowsky]

Key Takeaways:

Artemis II successfully launched four astronauts on a 10-day mission around the moon, marking humanity's first deep-space journey in over half a century.
The mission focuses on testing NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion capsule with a human crew, practicing rendezvous maneuvers, deploying scientific CubeSats, and gathering vital data on radiation and human health.
While not landing on the moon, Artemis II is a critical precursor to future lunar landings, with plans for Artemis IV to land in 2028 and subsequent semiannual landings to establish a permanent lunar base.

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For the first time in more than half a century, human astronauts are heading to the moon.

Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida erupted in flames Wednesday evening as the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket fired its boosters and engines, generating 8.8 million pounds of thrust and sending four astronauts—three American, one Canadian—on a 10-day trip around the moon and back.