Watch the historic moment Nasa's Artemis II mission blasted off to the Moon

Peter Stevens
Wed, 01 Apr 2026 23:50:25 +0000

Watch the moment Nasa's Artemis II mission blasted off from Earth - the first crewed mission to the Moon in 50 years.

The four-man mission is the first step Nasa has made towards a return to the lunar surface.

Artemis II's crew consists of Nasa trio Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch - and Jeremy Hansen, a Canadian Space Agency astronaut.

The four walked on to the rocket to the roar and applause of witnesses, including GB News star Ben Leo and his son in Florida.

"This is Jeremy, we are going for all humanity," Mr Hansen, strapped inside Orion, told launch control minutes before liftoff.

"Reid, Victor, Christina and Jeremy, 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," launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson told the crew through a communications line from launch control.

"Good luck, godspeed, Artemis II. Let’s go," she added.

Witnesses said they could feel the rocket's blast ripple through their bodies as the Orion spacecraft blasted off from Cape Canaveral - also known as the Space Coast.

The Nasa mission would not be possible without international collaboration, including from the European Space Agency and British engineers from the private sector.

The Goonhilly satellite station on Cornwall's Lizard peninsula will support the Americans in tracking the crew on their more than half-a-million-mile journey through space.

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