NASA’s Artemis II blasts off toward the moon in fiery liftoff, sending humans farther into space than ever before

Artemis II successfully launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying four astronauts on a ten-day mission to reach the moon for the first time since 1972.

The NASA spacecraft officially launched at 6:35 pm ET on Wednesday after overcoming a pair of systems issues that threatened to temporarily derail the launch.

Artemis II is planned to take NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen further into space than any human has ever gone before.

The crew is expected to travel approximately 250,000 miles from Earth by April 6, breaking the previous record set by Apollo 13 in 1970.

Four minutes into the historic journey, Artemis II crossed the border into space with no reported flight problems and no clear view of its target destination.

Mission commander Wiseman said: ‘We are having a beautiful moonrise. We’re heading right for that!’

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman reported that after the successful launch, Artemis II experienced a temporary communications issue and was still dealing with a ‘controller issue’ in the toilet on the Orion capsule.

However, all important systems are still working, and the crew was busy preparing for the next stages of orbital burn on Earth before the space agency announced that the spacecraft was ready for its journey to the moon.

From left to right: Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman and Christina Koch

Just after 6 p.m., Wiseman declared “Full launch” as he and his crew sat atop NASA’s ascending rocket, confirming they were ready for launch.

Artemis II launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson delivered an emotional message to the crew from mission control, telling them they carried ‘the heart of the Artemis team, the courageous spirit of the American people and our partners around the world, and the hopes and dreams of this generation.’

‘Good luck. For God’s sake, Artemis II. “Let’s go,” he said after the final launch checks.

Using the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, Artemis II rose into orbit above which the Orion spacecraft was hovering.

The twin solid rocket boosters ignited first, providing more than 75 percent of the thrust needed to lift the 5.75 million-pound rocket off the ground, according to NASA.

Their combined power, along with the four RS-25 engines already at full thrust, produced an incredible 8.8 million pounds of force at takeoff.

As the rocket ascended, the umbilicals providing pre-launch power, fuel and data connections were disconnected and retracted into protective housings. This enabled the vehicle to be independent of ground systems and fully autonomous for flight.

The main engine section of the SLS core stage was completed and separated from the vehicle eight minutes into the flight; This marks the end of the first major thrust phase of the Artemis II mission.

Artemis II overcame a pair of minor technical glitches, launching on time and at 6:35 PM ET

From there, the space capsule began deploying its four sets of solar wings about 20 minutes into the historic flight.

Four solar panels will provide continuous electrical power to the spacecraft throughout its ten-day journey and support crew life support systems, avionics, communications and onboard operations.

The four astronauts will spend most of the night performing system checks to make sure the launch goes as planned and there are no critical problems before the spacecraft moves into high Earth orbit, NASA officials said.

On the second day, if all systems leave Earth orbit, the Orion spacecraft will perform its critical translunar injection burn, a powerful engine ignition designed to deorbit the spacecraft and send it on its way to the Moon.

It will take the Artemis II crew three to four days to reach the moon; The Orion spacecraft is expected to enter what NASA calls the moon’s domain on the fifth day.

This is the point at which the gravity on the moon exceeds the gravity of the Earth and begins to guide the spacecraft towards its target.

Day six will be a historic day for NASA and the rest of humanity as Artemis II makes its flyby of the moon and travels to the dark side of the moon.

Not only will the spacecraft reach a point farther from Earth than previous crewed missions, but NASA has confirmed that astronauts will be able to view a lunar eclipse where the moon blocks the sun.

Artemis II will be the first manned mission to reach the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972

Crowds gather near Florida space center to watch rocket launch in person on April 1

After orbiting the moon, the Orion ship will begin its return journey and leave the gravitational influence of the moon and move towards the Earth.

The return trip will last another four days, which the astronauts will fill by performing significant safety demonstrations, including testing procedures designed to protect the crew from dangerous solar radiation from solar flares. The crew will also practice manually steering the spacecraft.

The mission will end on the tenth day with a fiery return to Earth’s atmosphere, where the Orion capsule is expected to withstand temperatures close to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

Parachutes will be deployed to slow the spacecraft before it crashes into the Pacific Ocean, ending the landmark mission.

But Wednesday’s history-making event was just the first step in NASA’s much larger goals, including building a permanent base on the moon just two years from now, Isaacman said shortly after the launch.

‘Artemis II is the opening act. This is a test mission,’ Isaacman said.

‘It will be ready for the next missions. When we do our tests with the lander in 2027, you will see a rocket launched to the moon. We will land on Artemis IV in 2028 and build the moon base in parallel!’

NASA’s next space mission, Artemis III, is scheduled to launch in 2027.

The low Earth orbit mission will test integrated operations between the Orion spacecraft and one or both of Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin commercial landers, respectively.

Artemis II entered space just four minutes into its historic journey to the moon, and hordes of fans watched in Florida

Countless Americans across the US also stopped in crowded cities to watch the launch on TV

President Donald Trump congratulated NASA and the astronauts aboard the Artemis II craft as he began his presidential address Wednesday night.

“I would like to start by congratulating the NASA team and our brave astronauts on the successful launch of Artemis II,” he said.

“It was pretty important,” he added, describing the mission as “astonishing.”

‘They are on their way and God bless them. These are brave people. ‘God bless these four astronauts.’

Trump was among countless Americans who gathered to watch the historic launch; many stood in crowded streets to watch Artemis II take off on TV monitors across the country.

Artemis II will be approximately 250,000 miles from Earth; This will be the farthest a person has traveled in history.

Major sporting events, including the game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, televised the Artemis II launch for fans

William Shatner, known for his role as space pioneer Captain Kirk on television, praised NASA’s launch and the inclusion of a Canadian astronaut in the four-person crew

Members of the Canadian Space Agency also applauded as they watched the launch of Artemis II.

Astronaut Jeremy Hansen became the first Canadian to go to the moon. It was also the 50-year-old Ontario native’s first time in space.

William Shatner, a Canadian television icon and former Blue Origin astronaut, praised the launch during an interview with CNN.

The 95-year-old actor, known for his role as Captain Kirk in Star Trek, said: ‘We are immensely proud of Canadians’ contributions to space exploration and humanity’s reach.’

‘The possibility of going to Mars and discovering more about the mystery of the universe, all this to which many countries have contributed and America has pioneered, and its unquestionable excellence in technological advancement.’