NASA successfully launches four astronauts to the moon on humanity's first lunar voyage in 53 years
Updated . First published
History has been made today with NASA's rocket blasting off to the moon with four astronauts on board.
It is humanity's first trip to the moon in more than half a century.
Crowds cheered and whooped at Florida's Space View Park as they watched the astronauts take off for the Artemis II mission at 9.38am AEDT.
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Three Americans and one Canadian will fly around the moon without stopping or even orbiting – then head straight back for a Pacific splashdown. Supplied
Three male and one female astronauts are on board the rocket for the 10-day mission: Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen.
Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, the launch director, bid farewell to the astronauts with these words: "On this historic mission, you take with you the heart of this Artemis team, the daring spirit of the American people and our partners across the globe, and the hopes and dreams of a new generation.
"Good luck, Godspeed Artemis II. Let's go."
Five minutes into the flight, Commander Wiseman had his eye on the team's target: "We have a beautiful moonrise, we're headed right at it," he said from the capsule.
The rocket will travel a few thousand kilometres beyond the moon, perform a U-turn and then come straight back. There will be no moon landing this time, but the mission is a pivotal step towards NASA's push towards humans setting foot on the moon again in two years.
The rocket launch appeared to go almost seamlessly, after engineers performed a last-minute check on an abnormal battery reading, before giving it the all clear.
Earlier today, NASA fuelled its moon rocket. Tensions were high as hydrogen fuel started flowing into the rocket hours ahead of the planned launch.
Dangerous hydrogen leaks erupted during a countdown test earlier this year, forcing a lengthy flight delay.
NASA began fuelling its moon rocket on Wednesday for humanity's first lunar trip in more than half a century, aiming for an evening lift-off with four astronauts. AP Photo/Chris O'Meara
But no significant leaks occurred by the time Wednesday's fuelling wrapped up.
The launch team loaded more than 2.6 million litres of fuel into the 32-story Space Launch System rocket on the pad, setting the stage for the Artemis II crew to board.
"It is time to fly," Commander Reid Wiseman said on the eve of launch via X.
Three Americans and one Canadian will fly around the moon without stopping or even orbiting – then head straight back for a Pacific splashdown.
They will set a new distance record for the farthest humans have travelled from Earth as they zoom some 6,400 kilometres beyond the moon and then hang a U-turn.
Astronauts last flew to the moon during Apollo 17 in 1972.
Artemis II is the opening shot of NASA's grand plans for a permanent moon base. The space program is aiming for a moon landing near the lunar south pole in 2028.
"The next era of exploration begins," NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman posted on X.
Best wishes have already started to pour in, including from King Charles III to Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
NASA astronauts (L-R) Reid Wiseman, Artemis II commander; Victor Glover, Artemis II pilot; Christina Koch, Artemis II mission specialist; and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, Artemis II mission specialist, in Cape Canaveral, Florida on March 30, 2026. Bill Ingalls/NASA
Photographers set up remote cameras near NASA's Artermis II moon rocket on Launch Pad 39-B just before sunrise at the Kennedy Space Centre Tuesday, March 31, 2026, in Cape Canaveral, Florida AP Photo/Chris O'Meara
Hansen will become the first non-US citizen to launch to the moon. The crew also includes Christina Koch and Victor Glover, the first woman and first Black astronaut, respectively, destined for the moon.
"In this historic moment, you stand as a bridge between nations and generations," the King wrote in a letter to Hansen, "and I commend you for your courage, discipline and vision that have brought you to this threshold".
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