Photo: NASA/Bill Ingalls
History was made yesterday at Cape Canaveral. For the first time in over 50 years, a crewed mission is headed for the moon. Artemis II took off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a 10-day mission around the moon and back.
The crew comprises NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen. On top of carrying out the first crewed lunar flyby since 1972, the astronauts will also test the capabilities of the Orion spacecraft for deep space. Particularly, the flight will demonstrate life support systems for a manned mission, laying the foundation for an enduring presence on the moon ahead of future missions to Mars.
“Artemis II is a test flight, and the test has just begun. The team that built this vehicle, repaired it, and prepared it for flight has given our crew the machine they need to go prove what it can do,” says NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya. “Over the next 10 days, Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy will put Orion through its paces so the crews who follow them can go to the moon’s surface with confidence. We are one mission into a long campaign, and the work ahead of us is greater than the work behind us.”
The mission will reach its peak with a planned multi-hour lunar flyby on Monday, April 6. With this, the astronauts will become the first people to lay eyes on some areas of the far side of the moon that have previously been out of reach to astronomers and fellow astronauts. The crew will take photographs and document their observations. Given the lunar far side will only be partially illuminated, the shadows will allow the astronauts to better capture reliefs, ridges, slopes and crater rims that are harder to see under full illumination.
The latest update from NASA administrator Jared Isaacman is that the Artemis II astronauts are doing great. “The Orion spacecraft is performing well in an impressive elliptical orbit,” he wrote on X. The crew held a meeting earlier today to proceed with this trans-lunar injection burn, which will send astronauts out of Earth’s orbit and toward the moon.
Before going to sleep for a four-and-a-half-hour rest period, the crew was able to see a breathtaking view—a crescent earth. “I just wanted to describe for you guys the beauty that we’re seeing,” Koch said.“You can actually make out the coastline of the continent, you can make out rivers because of the sunglare, you can see high thunder clouds […] the South Pole lit up. It is just absolutely phenomenal. You guys look great.”
To stay up to date with Artemis II, tune in to NASA’s livestream below and make sure to follow NASA on Instagram.
The Artemis II crew took off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a 10-day mission around the moon and back.
From right to left, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander; Christina Koch, mission specialist; Victor Glover, pilot; and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist. Photo: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani
This marks the first time in over 50 years a crewed mission is headed for the moon.
Artemis program patch floating in the International Space Station’s cupola. Photo: NASA/Jessica Meir
This visualization explains the path of the Orion spaceship around the moon.
If you are using the earth as a reference frame, the moon is actually doing a close flyby of Artemis II. pic.twitter.com/n5N0UBJaE2
— Lucid™ (@cammakingminds) April 2, 2026
The astronauts at the International Space Station followed the launch closely too.
Godspeed, Artemis II! pic.twitter.com/lNLtud6ldO
— Jessica Meir (@Astro_Jessica) April 1, 2026
Before going to sleep for a four-and-a-half-hour rest period, the crew was able to see a breathtaking view—a crescent earth.
Photo: NASA
You can relive the launch in the video below:
NASA is also providing livestream coverage of the mission, around the clock.
There is also a livestream with views from the Orion spaceship.
Sources: Liftoff! NASA Launches Astronauts on Historic Artemis Moon Mission; Artemis II Flight Update: Perigee Raise Burn Complete; Moon mission astronauts ‘doing great’ and spacecraft performing well, Nasa chief says
All images via NASA.
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