The Independent

Nasa sends humans to the Moon after half a century

The historic Artemis II mission has launched, carrying the first crewed mission to the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. On Wednesday afternoon, the four astronauts – three Americans and one Canadian – donned their orange spacesuits and headed to the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. They were seen smiling and waving to a crowd of well-wishers. The launch took place at 6:35 p.m. Eastern Time. The crew will set out on a 10-day voyage that will take them around the far side of the moon and back to Earth. While they will not land on the lunar surface, Nasa hopes that the mission will play a key role in helping establish a permanent settlement on the moon. Watch more on Independent TV: https://tinyurl.com/yc7ukx9n The Independent is the world’s most free-thinking newsbrand, providing global news, commentary and analysis for the independently-minded. Subscribe: https://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-Independent Find us on social: TikTok / https://www.tiktok.com/@independent Instagram / https://www.instagram.com/the.independent/ X (Twitter) / https://twitter.com/Independent Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/TheIndependentOnline Download the iOS & Android app: https://tinyurl.com/2s3ts5dh Sign up to our newsletters: https://tinyurl.com/2bmw565x Help to support truly independent journalism. Every dollar you contribute will directly fund additional special reports and investigations from a free-thinking, award-winning newsroom you can trust: https://www.independent.co.uk/donations