News · Axios
Artemis II successfully rolls out for historic Moon mission
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NASA's Artemis II Space Launch System rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft lifts off from Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Wednesday.
Key facts
- NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, plus Canada's Jeremy Hansen, are beginning what's expected to be a 10-day mission around the Moon and back
- NASA's Artemis II Space Launch System rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft lifts off from Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Wednesday
- Yes, but: NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman recently rejiggered the Artemis schedule, shifting Artemis III from a lunar landing to a test flight of one or both of SpaceX and Blue Origin's lunar
- President Trump congratulated NASA and the astronauts on the successful launch during his address to the nation on Wednesday night
Summary
Artemis II's planned crewed lunar flyby is set to mark the closest humanity has come to the Moon since the Apollo days. It's also a key step towards NASA's grand ambition to return human boots to lunar soil, and the Trump administration's dreams of a permanent Moon base. President Trump congratulated NASA and the astronauts on the successful launch during his address to the nation on Wednesday night. "These are brave people," Trump said.