NASA’s multi-decade hiatus from lunar exploration ended Wednesday evening as the Artemis II mission streaked into the Florida sky at 6:35:12 p.m. Eastern time. This launch marks the first time since the Apollo 17 crew departed the lunar surface in December 1972 that humans have embarked on a journey to the moon.
The liftoff from Kennedy Space Center followed a brief moment of tension when flight controllers paused the countdown to address minor technical issues. Once cleared, the massive Space Launch System rocket propelled four astronauts—Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen—on a 10-day voyage.
While the crew will not land, they are scheduled to fly thousands of miles past the lunar far side to test the life-support systems of the Orion capsule.
This flight is a critical hardware trial. NASA intends to use the data from this mission to prepare for a surface landing, currently targeted for 2028. Future missions will require the Orion capsule to dock with landing craft being developed by private partners SpaceX and Blue Origin.
The Artemis program represents a shift in NASA’s long-term strategy. Following the Apollo era, which saw interest and funding wane after the 1969 moon landing, the agency spent decades focusing on low-Earth orbit operations with the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station.
The current push to return to deep space began under the Trump administration and has maintained its trajectory through the Biden administration. Following the successful uncrewed Artemis I test in 2022, this mission puts people back into the equation.
The crew itself represents several milestones in aerospace history. Victor Glover is the first Black man to travel to the moon, Christina Koch is the first woman, and Jeremy Hansen is the first Canadian.
While Wiseman, Glover, and Koch are veterans of the International Space Station, this mission serves as Hansen’s first trip into space. The four-person team will spend the next week and a half ensuring the Orion spacecraft can sustain human life in deep space before returning for a splashdown on Earth.
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