Four astronauts blasted off aboard a massive NASA rocket Wednesday on a long-anticipated journey around the Moon, the first crewed lunar flyby in more than 50 years.
With an intense roar that reverberated far beyond the launchpad the enormous orange-and-white rocket carried three US citizens and one Canadian away from Florida's Kennedy Space Center at approximately 6:35 pm local time.
NASA teams and spectators alike cheered on the spacecraft as it ascended away from Earth, a milestone that finally came to fruition after years of delays and massive cost overruns.
"We're going to the Moon!" exclaimed one onlooker.
During final checks before Artemis II was deemed a go for launch, astronauts gave brief words: "We are going for all humanity," said the Canadian aboard, Jeremy Hansen.
Artemis launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson then addressed the astronauts directly.
"Reid, Victor, Christina and Jeremy: On this historic mission, you take with you the heart of this Artemis team, the daring spirit of the American people and our partners across the globe and the hopes and dreams of a new generation. Good luck. God speed Artemis 2. Let's go," she said.
The weather was not quite perfect but close to it, with a 90 percent chance of conditions suitable for launch.
The team, clad in bright orange suits with blue trim, includes Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along with Hansen.
The first steps involve performing various checks to ensure the reliability and safety of the spacecraft – it has never carried humans before – before venturing forth on the approximately 10-day journey in which they'll hurtle around the Moon without landing. They will also test its manual piloting capabilities during docking simulations.
Repeated setbacks
The journey marks a series of historic accomplishments: it will send the first person of colour, the first woman and the first non-US citizen on a lunar mission. If the mission proceeds as planned, the astronauts will set a record by venturing farther from Earth than any human before.
It is also the inaugural crewed flight of NASA's new lunar rocket, dubbed the Space Launch System (SLS). The mammoth orange-and-white rocket is designed to allow the United States to repeatedly return to the Moon, with the goal of establishing a permanent base that will offer a platform for further exploration.
The mission was originally due to launch as early as February. But repeated setbacks stalled it and even necessitated rolling the rocket back to its hangar for analysis and repairs.
Tens of thousands of locals turned out to watch the launch, with millions more watching across the world.
The Artemis programme was facing pressure from President Donald Trump, who has pushed the pace of a programme that aims to see boots hit the lunar surface before his second term ends in early 2029.
Artemis II's objectives include verifying that both the rocket and the spacecraft are in working order to pave the way for a Moon landing in 2028.
That deadline has raised eyebrows among experts, in part because Washington is relying on the private sector's technological headway.
The current era of US lunar investment has frequently been portrayed as an effort to compete with China, which is aiming to land humans on the Moon by 2030.
"We are WINNING, in Space, on Earth, and everywhere in between – Economically, Militarily, and now, BEYOND THE STARS. Nobody comes close! America doesn't just compete, we DOMINATE, and the whole World is watching," US President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social.
Despite Trump’s boast, there has been help from several other nations – including Argentina.
NASA’s first attempt to return to the moon in 54 years was achieved with the help of the University of Buenos Aires (UBA), whose Engineering Faculty was entrusted with developing the microsatellite Atenea.
Among almost 50 countries sounded out to develop the accompanying microsatellites, Argentina was one of the four selected alongside South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Germany.
– TIMES/AFP/NA
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