US Edition
Can You See the Artemis II Rocket Lift Off From Your Backyard?
The 10-day mission will carry three Americans and one Canadian on a lunar flyby test flight, NASA said.
- On Wednesday, April 1, 2026, NASA launches the Artemis II mission from Kennedy Space Center at 6:24 p.m. ET, sending four astronauts on a 10-day journey around the moon.
- Following hydrogen leaks that delayed the mission, this test flight marks the first crewed lunar departure since the 1972 Apollo 17 mission, evaluating life-support systems for future surface landings.
- With weather conditions holding an 80% favorability rating, spectators across Florida and Southern Georgia may see the launch. Residents within a 45-mile radius of the Cape might hear the 8.8 million pounds of thrust.
- The crew includes Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency. These astronauts achieve several milestones, including the first woman and first person of color to leave low Earth orbit.
- Utilizing a fuel-efficient free-return trajectory, the mission will loop around the moon before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean. This 10-day test paves the way for future crewed lunar landings, with NASA aiming to return humans to the surface by 2028.
72 Articles
72 Articles
Watch Artemis II launch that's sending astronauts back to the moon for the first time since 1972
NASA's Artemis II mission launched from the Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday.Joe Skipper/ReutersNASA is sending four astronauts to the moon for the first time in more than half a century.The astronauts will be doing a 10-day lunar flyby aboard the Orion spacecraft.The mission is a critical step toward returning humans to the moon's surface.NASA successfully launched Artemis II on Wednesday evening, sending astronauts around the moon for the fir…
SoCal Native Aboard as Historic Artemis II Lunar Mission Launches
Piloted by a Southern California native, NASA’s Artemis II mission, the first crewed lunar mission in more than 50 years, launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida Wednesday, sending four astronauts on a roughly 10-day journey around the moon and back. The Orion spacecraft, powered into space by a Space Launch System rocket, launched just after 3:30 p.m. California time, beginning a journey that will carry the astronauts farther from the Ear…
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (AP) — Four astronauts embarked Wednesday on a high-risk flight around the moon, the first such mission for humanity in more than half a century and the exciting start of a…
Columbia Gorge News
Artemis II heads to the moon with first crewed mission since 1972
(The Center Square) – America is going back to the moon, after Artemis II lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., Wednesday evening, more than five decades after Americans last set foot on the moon.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 60% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
