Moment Artemis II blasts off toward the Moon

Moment NASA's Artemis II blasts off toward the Moon #breakingnews #nasa #moon #artemisii Four astronauts have launched on a historic journey around the Moon as NASA’s Artemis II mission finally lifts off after years of delays, setbacks and technical challenges. Blasting off from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center just after 9.30am AEST, the powerful Space Launch System (SLS) rocket drew massive crowds as it roared into the sky, beginning a 400,000km journey into deep space. Travelling at speeds of up to 16,000km/h, the crew is expected to reach the Moon in about six days as part of a 10-day mission that will see them orbit — but not land on — Earth’s nearest celestial neighbour. On board are astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canada’s Jeremy Hansen, marking a series of historic firsts — including the first woman, first person of colour, and first non-American to take part in a lunar mission of this kind. Before liftoff, the crew shared emotional final messages, saying they were flying “for our families,” “our teammates,” and “all humanity.” The launch wasn’t without drama. Engineers raced to resolve a last-minute technical issue involving a safety system just minutes before liftoff, but quickly confirmed it would not impact the mission. Artemis II is the first crewed mission in NASA’s new era of lunar exploration and a crucial step toward returning humans to the Moon for the first time in over 50 years. The mission aims to pave the way for a planned lunar landing later this decade — and eventually, future missions to Mars. With hundreds of thousands watching in person and millions more around the world, the launch signals a bold new chapter in space exploration — and could inspire the next generation to reach even further beyond Earth. ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Connect With news.com.au Online ► [https://www.news.com.au] https://bit.ly/3WC8hOP ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Follow Us: Facebook ► [https://www.facebook.com/news.com.au/] Instagram ► [https://www.instagram.com/newscomauhq/?hl=en] TikTok ► [@news.com.au] X ► [https://twitter.com/newscomauHQ] ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Subscribe To Our YouTube Channel For The Very Latest News From Australia And Around The World: ► [https://www.youtube.com/@newscomauhq] ► [https://www.youtube.com/@newscomauhq/shorts] ► [https://www.youtube.com/@newscomauhq/videos] ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬