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"It was an amazing ride uphill. We forgot how beautiful it is to look down on Earth," Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman from space

Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman, flying a high-stakes mission around the Moon with Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen, was awestruck by the view of Earth from space. Within minutes of liftoff, he described breathtaking sights of both our planet and the Moon.

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Stunning view of Artemis II launch from space

National Weather Service's GOES-East GeoColor Satellite, positioned over Florida, was able to record this surreal view of Artemis II launch from Kennedy Space Center on April 1, 2026.

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NASA's Artemis II astronauts underwent suit leak checks before historic launch

In the final hours before liftoff, Artemis II astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen put their suits through critical leak checks to make sure everything is in place before heading into space. These suits will protect the astronauts and keep them pressurized. Sometimes, the astronauts have to hold their breath for about 10 seconds because movement in the suit could cause changes in the pressure.

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"We have a beautiful moon rise. We're headed right at it," Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman shortly after launch

Artemis astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen embarked on a high-stakes flight around the moon on Wednesday. They’ll hurtle several thousand miles beyond the moon, hang a U-turn and then come straight back. No circling around the moon, no stopping for a moonwalk — just a quick out-and-back lasting less than 10 days.

1:37

The card game Artemis II's crew played to ward off bad luck before launch

Artemis II has successfully launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Before liftoff, the crew took part in a long-standing astronaut tradition—playing a card game to ward off bad luck.

1:17

NASA's Artemis II successfully launches from Kennedy Space Center

History made at Pad 39B! After a flawless countdown and an 90% "Go" weather forecast, the Artemis II mission is officially on its way to the Moon. The SLS rocket, carrying NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with the Canadian Space Agency’s Jeremy Hansen, thundered away from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39B at 6:35 p.m. EDT on April 1, 2026. The Artemis II crew will spend a day in orbit around Earth checking their capsule before firing the main engine that will propel them to the moon.

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Artemis II astronauts head to Launch Pad 39B

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Meet the crew behind NASA's Artemis II mission ahead of the launch

Only a few hours left before NASA's first crewed mission towards the moon in over 50 years lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center. The four astronauts who will make the journey are NASA's Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen from the CSA (Canadian Space Agency).

0:56

Retired NASA astronaut Mike Fossum calls Artemis II launch a "historic moment" for America

Retired NASA astronaut Mike Fossum, who currently serves as the vice president of Texas A&M University, will be traveling to the Kennedy Space Center to watch his friends - Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen - embark on a "historic" journey around the Moon and back on April 1, 2026.

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Comparing NASA's Artemis II flyby to Apollo and Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

After the historic launch on April 1, 2026, NASA's Artemis II Orion spacecraft will fly by the far side of the Moon at an altitude of approximately 3,000 to 9,000 miles.

1:33

Neil deGrasse Tyson explains why NASA is targeting the lunar South Pole under the Artemis program

In this interview, recorded on January 16, 2024, at The 92nd Street Y in New York, renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson explains why America is planning to explore the lunar South Pole during Artemis IV in 2028.

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NASA's Victor Glover explains how the crew will fly the Orion spacecraft manually moments after launch

If you are also wondering how the Artemis II crew will fly the Orion spacecraft manually around the Moon and back, let NASA's Victor Glover give you a virtual demo. Glover, who will be serving as the pilot during the 10-day-long mission, is currently in quarantine at Kennedy Space Center with Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen. NASA is aiming for liftoff as soon as April 1, 2026

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NASA confirms Artemis II is 'ready' for the historic launch on April 1

While interacting with the media on March 29, 2026, Lori Glaze, the deputy associate administrator for NASA's Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate (ESDMD), confirmed that the Artemis II SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft are "ready" for lift-off on April 1, 2026. The space agency has the first six days of April to launch the rocket before standing down for nearly a month.

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Artemis II Mission Commander Reid Wiseman on what excites the crew most about their experiments aboard Orion

The Artemis II crew, who flew into Florida's Kennedy Space Center from Houston on Friday, interacted with media on March 29 to share insights on their respective roles on the mission, their hope, and what excites them the most about the studies they will be conducting beyond the low Earth orbit. The Q&A session was held from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, where the astronauts are currently in protective quarantine. The Space Launch System rocket, on April 1, will send the four on humanity’s first astronaut moonshot since Apollo 17 in 1972. The 10-day flight will end with a Pacific splashdown.