NASA’s Artemis 2 mission successfully lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday, marking the first manned trip to the moon in more than 50 years since Apollo 17. The mission will use the powerful Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft, and four astronauts will orbit the moon and return safely to Earth without landing.Footage from the commercial aircraft shows a unique view of its launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The video, now going viral on social media, shows Artemis 2 soaring into the sky as it begins its landmark journey around the moon.The ship’s crew included Reed Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen. During the 10-day mission, they will conduct critical tests to ensure the spacecraft’s systems are fully functional and safe for human travel. Key objectives include manual docking simulations and other operational checks to pave the way for future lunar missions.Artemis 2 also made history by carrying the first woman and first person of color into cislunar space (the region between the Earth and the moon).The mission follows the success of NASA’s Artemis 1 unmanned test flight in 2022 and will demonstrate a range of capabilities required for deep space exploration. Artemis 2 marks the first crewed mission of the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft, laying the foundation for the agency’s ambitious lunar exploration program.
