NASA has launched the Artemis II mission, sending four astronauts into lunar orbit for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972. The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket lifted off from Kennedy Space Center at 6:24 p.m. local time on Wednesday, following months of preparations including the January rollout to Launch Pad 39B. The 10-day flight will test critical systems for future Moon landings.
Liftoff occurred under 80% favorable weather after a last-minute communication system tweak. The Orion spacecraft carries commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Hammock Koch, and Canadian Jeremy Hansen—each with prior spaceflight experience, including station missions and records.
Key objectives: manual navigation, high-speed laser comms, and life support validation (oxygen, temperature). This crewed test follows uncrewed Artemis I and precedes Artemis III in 2027, targeting the lunar South Pole with the first woman and person of color.
The launch advances NASA's Artemis program for sustained lunar presence and Mars preparation, building on earlier milestones like the stack's arrival at the pad.
