Four astronauts have successfully blasted off aboard NASA’s latest deep-space rocket on a historic mission around the Moon, marking the first crewed lunar voyage in more than 50 years.
The mission, known as Artemis 2, lifted off from Florida at approximately 6:24 pm (2224 GMT) after years of development, delays, and significant cost overruns.
The launch, carried out under favourable weather conditions, briefly faced uncertainty when engineers identified a technical issue linked to the rocket’s flight termination system. However, the problem was resolved before liftoff, prompting relief among officials and spectators.
The crew Americans Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen were strapped into their capsule in bright orange flight suits with blue trim for the approximately 10-day mission.
Their journey will take them around the Moon without landing, following a similar trajectory to the Apollo 8 mission in 1968. If successful, the flight will see astronauts travel farther from Earth than any humans before them.
The mission also marks several milestones, including the first person of colour, the first woman, and the first non-American set to travel on a lunar mission.
The flight is the inaugural crewed test of NASA’s new Space Launch System, a massive rocket designed to support future lunar exploration and eventual long-term presence on the Moon.
Officials say the broader Artemis programme aims to establish a sustained lunar base and serve as a stepping stone for future deep-space exploration.
Despite repeated delays since its original planned launch earlier in the year, the rocket successfully carried its full fuel load of liquid hydrogen and oxygen ahead of liftoff.
NASA has confirmed additional launch windows remain available should weather or technical issues arise, though conditions are expected to become less favourable later in the week.
The mission has also drawn global attention amid growing competition in space exploration, particularly as China advances its own lunar ambitions.
Public excitement was high near Florida’s “Space Coast,” where authorities expected hundreds of thousands of spectators to witness the launch.
US President Donald Trump has previously linked the Artemis programme to broader national prestige, posting ahead of the launch that the United States is “winning in space,” and “beyond the stars.”
NASA says Artemis 2 will provide critical data to prepare for a planned crewed Moon landing later in the decade.