Artemis II blasts off: Humans are on their way back to the moon
By Patrick Pester
Published on April 1, 2026.
The Artemis II crew has successfully launched for the moon on a historic rocket launch at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The rocket lifted off at 6:35 p.m. EDT on April 1, one of the final launch windows available to meet NASA's April 30 mission deadline. The 10-day mission will take the crew around the far side of the moon, travelling faster and faster than any other humans in history before returning home to Earth. The launch was watched by hundreds of thousands worldwide and millions tuned in around the world to watch NASA's live broadcast. The mission will be part of NASA's historic test and preparation for its scheduled flight around the moon in 2028.
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