NASA Artemis II Launches: First Crewed Lunar Mission Since Apollo 17

NASA's Artemis II lifted off from Kennedy Space Center at 22:35 UTC, carrying astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch (NASA), and Jeremy Hansen (CSA). The 10-day mission includes a lunar flyby — the first crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in December 1972. The crew will loop around the Moon before returning to Earth, validating systems for future Artemis III crewed lunar landing.