NASA launches Astronauts on historic Artemis Moon mission

NASA's Artemis II crew launch from Cape Canaveral in Florida in Wednesday. For the first time in over 50 years, astronauts from Earth have launched to the moon. NASA's most powerful rocket, the Space Launch System, lit up the evening sky over Florida's Space Coast in a stunning liftoff to send four astronauts on a 10-day voyage around the moon. The historic Artemis 2 mission launched at 6:35 p.m. EDT (2235 GMT) from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, beginning the first astronaut voyage to the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. Aboard their Orion spacecraft, the four Artemis 2 astronauts will perform a lunar flyby. And, while they won't be orbiting or landing on the moon, the mission marks a watershed moment for NASA's renewed effort to extend humanity's reach beyond low Earth orbit.

VIDEO | NASA launches four astronauts to the moon on humanity's first lunar voyage in 53 years.#ArtemisII #NASA #MoonMission

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(Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/r4s8WunmZz

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The Orion spacecraft, riding atop Nasa’s Space Launch System, thundered out of the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.The Artemis-II mission, Nasa’s first crewed lunar voyage in over 50 years, is commanded by Reid Wiseman and carries a historic crew that includes the first woman, the first person of colour, and the first Canadian astronaut on a round trip to the far side of the Moon. The launch follows a series of delays, including a last-minute rollback of the rocket and technical fixes to resolve issues such as helium leaks, highlighting the complexity of sending humans beyond Earth orbit once again.