The historic Artemis 2 mission has commenced, marking NASA's first crewed venture around the moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. The launch took place at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with the 322-foot-tall Space Launch System rocket lifting off at 6:35 p.m. ET.
This mission features a crew of four astronauts: Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Jeremy Hansen. Koch will break new ground as the first woman to venture beyond Earth’s orbit, while Glover and Hansen will also make history as a Black astronaut and non-American astronaut, respectively. The crew’s trajectory will take them approximately 4,700 miles past the moon, setting a record for the farthest distance traveled by humans.
NASA's previous Artemis 1 mission, which was uncrewed, established the groundwork for this flight. Following this mission, plans are in place for lunar landings projected for 2028. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has described Artemis 2 as the start of a new era in space exploration.