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The first manned mission to the Moon in more than 50 years has launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
Four American astronauts launched aboard the Orion spacecraft as part of the Artemis II mission. They will orbit Earth's moon for a total of ten days.
Approximately eight minutes after launch, the spacecraft entered space and an hour later entered low-Earth orbit. Over the next 24 hours, the crew, led by Reed Weisman, will test all life support systems.
On the third day, the spacecraft will perform a maneuver to enter a trajectory toward the Moon. On the fifth day, it will enter the lunar gravity well, leaving Earth's gravity well behind. On the sixth day, the craft will make its closest approach to the Earth's satellite, after which it will begin its return. The total mission duration will be ten days.
The spacecraft was previously returned to the assembly line after a leak was discovered, causing NASA to miss its March launch window. A new launch window opened on April 1.
NASA plans to conduct another test flight and then, in 2028, land astronauts on the Moon.
This flight will be the first manned approach to the Moon in more than 50 years and the longest space journey ever undertaken by humans. The last human landing on the Moon took place in December 1972, when astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt became the last humans to set foot on the surface of the Earth's satellite.
