NASA's Artemis II crew successfully takes off in first lunar mission in over 50 years

NASA successfully launched its Artemis II lunar mission Wednesday night, signaling the first moon mission since the space agency ended its Apollo missions over 50 years ago.

The mission marks the first time NASA astronauts have left Earth’s orbit since 1972 to embark on the roughly 685,000-mile journey aboard the Orion capsule and slingshot back for the return home. 

Launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson told the Artemis crew that “the hopes and dreams of a new generation," are with them as they aim to reach a greater distance from Earth than anyone has before.

“On this historic mission, you take with you the heart of the Artemis team, the daring spirit of the American people and our partners across the globe, and the hopes and dreams of a new generation,” she said, per NBC News.

The four-person crew is expected to spend 10 days in space and the journey will be a test for the Orion spacecraft’s life support systems and is important for the crew to practice operations that will be required for the subsequent Artemis missions aimed at planting boots on the lunar surface by 2028, according to NASA’s timeline. 

The crew lifted off at 6:35 p.m. Eastern, from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.