NASA's Space Launch System rocket lifted off from Kennedy Space Center at 6:24 p.m. ET on April 1, carrying four astronauts toward the moon aboard the Orion spacecraft. The Artemis II mission marks humanity's first crewed lunar voyage in more than 50 years, since Apollo 17 returned from the lunar surface in December 1972.
The crew — Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen — will spend approximately 10 days on a free-return trajectory around the moon before splashing down on Earth. The mission will set a new record for the farthest distance humans have ever traveled from Earth, surpassing the mark set by Apollo 13 in 1970.
The launch came after months of delays. Originally scheduled for early February, the mission was pushed back after fuel leaks were discovered during a test run, followed by a helium leak identified later that month. NASA rolled the rocket back to the Vehicle Assembly Building for repairs before clearing it for the April launch window. Space Force weather officers reported an 80% chance of favorable conditions for liftoff.
The mission carries historic firsts: Glover will become the first Black astronaut to travel beyond low Earth orbit, Koch the first woman, and Hansen the first non-American. While Artemis II is a flyby mission — the crew will not land on the lunar surface — it is designed to validate Orion's life support systems and pave the way for Artemis III, which aims to return astronauts to the moon's surface.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has outlined an ambitious timeline, with Artemis III, IV, and V all targeted before the end of the current presidential term. John Honeycutt, who oversees the SLS program, acknowledged the risk involved, noting success odds for a new rocket system historically range from one in two to one in 50, but said the team was "in a much better position" than those numbers suggest. The rocket was loaded with 700,000 gallons of super-cold liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen before launch.
Left-Leaning Emphasis
- CNN and NPR emphasized the historic diversity milestones: the first woman, first Black astronaut, and first non-American to fly to the moon.
- NPR framed the mission as a step toward broader scientific exploration and a future lunar landing, focusing on what Artemis II validates for later missions.
- CNN devoted special broadcast coverage with experts and former astronauts, treating the launch as a marquee national moment.
Right-Leaning Emphasis
- Fox News highlighted that the Artemis program was established by Trump in December 2017, framing the launch as fulfillment of a Trump-era initiative.
- Fox News emphasized NASA Administrator Isaacman's ambitious timeline to complete Artemis III, IV, and V before Trump's term ends, positioning it as an administration achievement.
- Right-leaning coverage focused on the engineering and risk dimensions, quoting SLS program manager John Honeycutt's candid success-odds assessment.