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Artemis II crew safely launched into orbit

by
Collinsville Press
April 1, 2026

From left, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen stand in front of the rocket and Orion spacecraft at the top of the rocket at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday. (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Courtesy NASA
NASA’s Artemis II mission to return man back to the moon safely lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday at 6:35 p.m.

Four astronauts are in the Orion spacecraft on a planned test flight around the moon and back to Earth.

“Today’s launch marks a defining moment for our nation and for all who believe in exploration. Aboard Orion are four remarkable explorers preparing for the first crewed flight of this rocket and spacecraft, a true test mission that will carry them farther and faster than any humans in a generation,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman.

“Artemis II is the start of something bigger than any one mission. It marks our return to the moon, not just to visit, but to eventually stay on our moon base, and lays the foundation for the next giant leaps ahead,” Isaacman said.

The successful launch is the beginning of an approximately 10-day mission for NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen.

As the first crewed mission of NASA’s Artemis program, among its objectives, the flight will demonstrate life support systems for the first time with crew and lay the foundation for an enduring presence on the moon ahead of future missions to Mars.

After reaching space, Orion deployed its solar array wings, enabling the spacecraft to receive energy from the sun, while the crew and engineers on the ground immediately began transitioning the spacecraft from launch to flight operations to start checking out key systems.

“Artemis II is a test flight, and the test has just begun. The team that built this vehicle, repaired it, and prepared it for flight has given our crew the machine they need to go prove what it can do,” said NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya. “Over the next 10 days, Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy will put Orion through its paces so the crews who follow them can go to the moon’s surface with confidence.”

The spacecraft will remain in Earth orbit for about a day, where the crew will conduct a manual pilot demonstration to test Orion’s handling capabilities. The astronauts, with Mission Control Center teams at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, will continue checking spacecraft systems.

If all systems remain healthy, mission controllers will give Orion’s European-built service module a command to conduct the translunar injection burn on Thursday, April 2. This move is an approximately six-minute firing to send the spacecraft on a trajectory that will simultaneously carry crew around the Moon, while also harnessing lunar gravity to slingshot them back to Earth.