NASA launches astronauts on first lunar mission in 53 years

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History has been made as NASA successfully launched its Artemis II mission, sending four astronauts on a journey around the Moon.

The rocket lifted off from Florida at 9:38am AEDT, marking the first human mission to the Moon since Apollo 17.

The crew includes Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen. Hansen becomes the first non-American astronaut to take part in a lunar mission.

This 10-day mission will not land on the Moon. Instead, the spacecraft will travel thousands of kilometres beyond it, loop around, and return to Earth, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.

The mission is a major step toward NASA’s long-term goal of returning humans to the Moon and building a permanent presence there.

The launch followed earlier technical concerns, including past hydrogen leak issues. However, final checks cleared the rocket for take-off, with over 2.6 million litres of fuel loaded successfully.

Artemis II will also set a new record for the farthest distance humans have travelled from Earth.

NASA aims to land astronauts on the lunar surface again later this decade, as part of its next phase of space exploration.

Source : 9News

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