NASA Artemis II launch set to send astronauts around the Moon

The countdown is on at Kennedy Space Center as NASA prepares to launch Artemis II

(NBC) — The countdown is on at Kennedy Space Center as NASA prepares to launch Artemis II — its first crewed mission to the Moon since the Apollo era.

“We’re ready, the rocket is ready, we are ready, NASA is ready,” said mission commander Reid Wiseman.

On board are four astronauts making history: Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen.

The mission marks a major milestone, including the first woman and the first Black astronaut to travel to the Moon.

“I also hope we are pushing the other direction… that this is the story of humanity,” Glover said.

While Artemis II will not land on the Moon, it is a critical test mission. The crew will travel farther into space than humans have gone in decades, allowing engineers to evaluate life support systems and how the spacecraft performs during high-speed reentry into Earth’s atmosphere.

After liftoff, the astronauts will orbit Earth before slingshotting around the Moon and returning home in a 10-day deep space mission.

“It is our strong hope that this mission is the start of an era where everyone… can look at the moon and think of it as also a destination,” Koch said.

Back on Earth, thousands are expected to gather along Florida’s coast to witness the historic launch.

If successful, Artemis II won’t just send astronauts into space — it will mark the beginning of a new era of human exploration beyond Earth.

“Failure is not an option… it’s that we don’t quit,” Hansen said.