NASA launches historic Artemis II crewed Moon mission after more than 50 years 

Florida — NASA successfully launched its historic Artemis II mission from the Kennedy Space Center, sending four astronauts on humanity’s first crewed journey around the Moon in over five decades.

The powerful Space Launch System rocket, carrying the Orion spacecraft, lifted off at 6:35 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday. The mission marks the first crewed flight under NASA’s Artemis programme, designed to return humans to the Moon and eventually pave the way for missions to Mars.

The four-member crew includes NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency. The launch countdown experienced a brief pause at the T-10 minute mark before resuming smoothly.

During the mission, the crew will travel roughly 7,400 kilometres beyond the Moon’s far side before returning to Earth — farther than any human has ventured in more than 50 years. The flight will test Orion’s life-support systems and other critical capabilities required for future lunar missions, including the planned Artemis III.

Re-entry is expected to be one of the most demanding stages. Orion will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere at nearly 25,000 miles per hour, enduring temperatures close to 5,000 degrees before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean. 

Throughout the journey, astronauts will evaluate spacecraft performance, rehearse emergency procedures, and capture images of the Moon’s far side. The mission also marks several historic milestones, featuring the first woman, the first African-American astronaut, and the first Canadian travelling toward the Moon.

The Artemis programme follows the legacy of the Apollo program, which sent 24 astronauts to the Moon between 1968 and 1972, with 12 walking on its surface. NASA now aims to establish a sustained human presence on the Moon, including potential missions to the lunar south pole later this decade, before eventually targeting Mars. 

With inputs from IANS