GoKawiilNASA's Artemis II Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft and the launch gantry at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 31. NASA/Keegan Barber
Fifty-four years after the last Apollo mission to the moon, NASA's Artemis II mission is set to return. The Space Launch System rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday afternoon, as the four-person crew, made up of American and Canadian astronauts, lifted off with the goal of traveling 250,000 miles from Earth.
This is everything you need to know about NASA's mission to orbit the moon, its dreams for a future lunar base and this new age of space exploration.
How to watch Artemis II moon mission
Takeoff took place on Wednesday at 6:35 p.m. ET / 3:35 p.m. PT from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. While delays are common during launches, especially due to weather, liftoff took place less than 10 minutes after the 2-hour launch window was scheduled to open.
You can watch a repeat of the livestream on NASA's YouTube, official website and social media accounts. If you're looking for coverage in Spanish, check out NASA's Spanish YouTube channel.
Now that the mission has launched, you'll soon be able to watch a livestream from inside the Orion spacecraft, featuring "live views from Artemis II's Orion spacecraft, without commentary, as it makes its journey around the moon." The stream should launch soon and will end just before the Orion's splashdown into the Pacific Ocean at the conclusion of the mission.
Here's all the ways you can keep up with the Artemis II mission. NASA
What to expect from this mission to the moon
The Artemis II mission is designed to orbit the moon on a 10-day trip. The astronauts will not be touching down on the moon's surface this trip, but they will be testing the system's life support systems for the first time, according to NASA. This mission also sets the stage for future Artemis missions, including Artemis IV, scheduled for 2028, which is planned to put humans back on the moon.
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