Artemis II lifts off, ushering in a new era of deep space exploration

CALGARY — The NASA Artemis II mission successfully launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, marking a major milestone in humanity’s return to deep space exploration.The mission is sending four astronauts on a 10-day journey around the moon — the first time humans have traveled beyond low-Earth orbit since the Apollo era ended in 1972..The crew includes commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen.Hansen is set to become the first Canadian — and the first non-American — to travel beyond low-Earth orbit.The astronauts launched aboard NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), the most powerful rocket the American agency has ever built.Standing nearly 100 metres tall and fuelled by more than three million litres of liquid hydrogen and oxygen, the rocket is designed to carry the Orion spacecraft — which houses the crew — into deep space.Shortly after liftoff, the rocket reached supersonic speeds within about a minute..Two solid rocket boosters separated roughly two minutes into flight, followed by the jettisoning of the launch abort system — a critical safety feature designed to pull the crew to safety in the event of an emergency during ascent.The core stage then shut down and separated, leaving Orion to continue its journey using an external engine to reach a higher Earth orbit before heading toward the moon.Unlike future Artemis missions, Artemis II will not land on the lunar surface.Instead, it will follow a “free-return” trajectory, looping around the moon before heading back to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego, California..Earlier in the day, Hansen uploaded one last message to the social media platform X before the launch..“Canada, I am thinking of you, and I am hoping that all of you see your greatness reflected in this journey around the Moon,” he said.“I'm just so proud of all of you.”He also received a letter from King Charles III, who highlighted Canada’s long-standing contributions to space innovation and international collaboration..“I know that Canada’s participation in this bold mission reflects decades of dedicated leadership and sustained investments in space innovation, as well as the strength of international partnerships that make such endeavours possible,” the letter read.“Therefore, as the first Canadian to venture to the Moon, you carry not only the hopes of your fellow Canadians and the Commonwealth, but also the aspirations of humanity itself.”Hansen said he was “deeply touched to receive [the] message, which honours the collective vision and dedication behind this historic moment.”If all goes well, Artemis will fly past the moon in six days' time.The mission represents the first crewed test flight of NASA’s Artemis program and a critical step toward establishing a sustained human presence on the moon going forward.

Artemis II lifts off, ushering in a new era of deep space exploration

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