NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center, Florida at 6:36 Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). At T-00:10:00 there was a pause to check the latest systems and the countdown resumed after 15 minutes.The vehicle is carrying four astronauts on a lunar flyby mission lasting approximately 10 days. The mission is designated Artemis II. It is the first crewed mission to the lunar environment since Apollo 17, which launched in Dec. 1972. That marks a gap of nearly 54 years in human deep space exploration.
The 2 hours liftoff window opened at 6:24 p.m. EDT. As the 98-meter (322-foot) rocket climbed through the atmosphere, the crew felt up to 4 Gs of force pressing against their bodies. Eight minutes after launching, they were in space.
A figure eight around the Moon
Following a figure-eight trajectory, the crew will spend the first 24 hours in Earth orbit while engineers verify Orion’s life support systems. On day two, the main engine will fire to begin the four-day lunar transit, taking the spacecraft around the far side of the Moon before Earth’s gravity returns it home. Here’s the broken-down version:
The crew will reach a maximum distance of approximately 405,000 kilometers (252,000 miles) from Earth. This marks the farthest point in their trajectory. The crew will not land on the lunar surface. Artemis II is a crewed flight test mission. Its primary objective is to validate the performance of the Orion capsule and the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The data collected will support a planned crewed lunar landing, currently targeted for 2028.
Splashdown in the Pacific Ocean is expected on April 10. During reentry, the capsule will hit the atmosphere at roughly 40,000km/h (25,000 mph), the fastest speed ever reached by humans. Its heat shield will face temperatures near 2,800 degrees Celsius (5,000 degrees Fahrenheit), and the crew will experience significant G-forces during the descent before three parachutes slow Orion to approximately 27 km/h (17 mph) for splashdown.
Orion is scheduled to splash down in the Pacific Ocean on April 10. Reentry will occur at approximately 40,000 km/h (25,000 mph) — the highest speed ever experienced by a crewed vehicle. The heat shield will withstand temperatures approaching 2,800°C (5,000°F). Significant G-forces will act on the crew throughout descent. Three parachutes will then deploy sequentially, slowing Orion to 27 km/h (17 mph) for safe splashdown.
Four astronauts, four records
Commander Reid Wiseman, 50, is a U.S. Navy test pilot and former chief of NASA’s Astronaut Office. In 2014, he spent 165 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS). On this mission, he becomes the oldest person ever to travel to the lunar environment.
Pilot Victor Glover, 49, brings more than 3,500 flight hours across 40 different aircraft. He flew as pilot of SpaceX Crew-1 in 2020, the first operational commercial crew rotation to the ISS, where he logged 168 days and completed four spacewalks. Today, he becomes the first person of color to travel to the Moon.
Mission Specialist Christina Koch, 47, holds the record for the longest continuous spaceflight by a woman: 328 consecutive days in orbit. She also participated in the first all-female spacewalk in 2019. Her journey today makes her the first woman to travel to the lunar environment.
Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, 50, represents the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and makes his first spaceflight after a career as a CF-18 fighter pilot in the Canadian Armed Forces. Previously, he led NASA astronaut training classes and commanded underwater NEEMO (NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations) missions and Arctic geological expeditions. He is the first non-American to leave low Earth orbit.
A test flight, not a victory lap
The mission’s core goal is to prove that Orion’s systems can keep a crew alive in deep space. Engineers will monitor radiation exposure, air quality, water systems, and waste management during the flight, gathering data that future crews heading to the lunar surface will depend on.
NASA originally planned to launch in early February, but hydrogen fuel leaks and pressurization issues with the upper stage delayed the mission to April. Both problems have since been resolved.
The next mission, Artemis III, is targeted for no earlier than 2027 and will involve rendezvous and docking operations in lunar orbit with a commercial Human Landing System (HLS), currently the SpaceX Starship HLS. Artemis IV, planned for 2028, aims to land astronauts near the lunar south pole region for the first time in the Artemis program.