NASA Has Launched A Historic Mission With Astronauts To The Moon
- 2.04.2026, 8:19
For the first time in 50 years.
On Wednesday, April 1, 2026, NASA launched the Artemis II mission, the first manned mission to the moon in more than 50 years, during which four astronauts will make a 10-day journey around the Earth's satellite, ushering in a new era of lunar exploration.
This is reported by Charter97.org with reference to NASA and media publications.
The giant Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, which is as tall as a 30-story building, broke away from the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center. The powerful liftoff was accompanied by a huge column of white vapor, which was illuminated by the rays of the evening sun.
An international crew is aboard the Orion capsule:
Reed Wiseman (NASA) - Commander;
Victor Glover (NASA) - Pilot;
Christina Koch (NASA) - Mission Specialist;
Jeremy Hansen (Canadian Space Agency) - Mission Specialist.
Minutes before liftoff, Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen addressed the world: "We are going for all of humanity."
High stakes and space records
The Artemis II mission is not just a flight. It is a critical test for a multibillion-dollar U.S. program that aims to beat China in a new "moon race." Beijing plans its landing for 2030, while the US intends to put humans on the surface as early as 2028 (Artemis IV mission).
This expedition will set a new record: the astronauts will travel some 406,000 kilometers away from Earth. This is the deepest human space penetration in history, exceeding even the legendary Apollo 13.
Mission plan and technical tests
The crew will perform dozens of challenging tasks during the 10-day mission:
Manual control: 3.5 hours after liftoff, Orion will separate from the upper stage of the rocket, and the astronauts will take control to test the ship's maneuverability.
Life support systems check: Because this is Orion's first human-powered flight, experts will closely monitor how the technology holds up in deep space.
Gravity maneuver: The ship will fly around the back side of the moon, using its gravity to return to Earth.
The Future of the Artemis Program
The success of this launch is a triumph for prime contractors Boeing and Northrop Grumman, who have been developing the SLS rocket for more than a decade. NASA, meanwhile, is increasingly relying on the private sector, with Ilon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin now competing to build the landing modules that will eventually take humans directly to the lunar soil.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has previously noted that every step of Artemis II has been carefully calculated, as this particular mission opens the door for a permanent human presence on the moon and future missions to Mars.