NASA launched the Artemis II mission, the first manned flight of the Artemis programme and the first crewed mission beyond Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972. The launch took place from Kennedy Space Centre in Florida and was broadcast on NASA+, YouTube and other official NASA platforms.
The crew consisted of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency representative Jeremy Hansen. The mission will last about 10 days: the Orion spacecraft will orbit the Moon and return to Earth without landing on its surface.
Artemis II should test the work of SLS rockets, Orion spacecraft, life support systems, communications and control in the conditions of deep space. The successful launch of the mission became a key milestone in the US plans to return people to the Moon and prepare subsequent expeditions under the Artemis programme.