NASA'sArtemis II missionlifted off on April 1 at 6:35 p.m. ET from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The four-person crew will go on a 685,000-mile, 10-day journey around the moon, also known as a lunar fly-by.
Latest Developments
Apr 1, 8:45 PMArtemis II crew enters high Earth orbit
The Artemis II crew has entered high Earth orbit about two hours after lifting off from the Kennedy Space Center.
The crew will spend about a day in orbit testing Orion's systems. If everything is operating properly, Orion will be instructed on Thursday to perform the translunar injection burn, which will send the crew and spacecraft along their path to the moon.NASA said high Earth orbit extends "about 46,000 miles beyond Earth."-ABC News' Briana Alvarado
Apr 1, 8:31 PMNASA administrator says astronauts in 'great spirits'
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said Artemis II marked America's "grand return to the moon" during a Wednesday evening news conference.Isaacman said NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover Jr. and Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, "are safe. They're secure, and they're in great spirits.""We will continue to monitor their health and status as we move into the next phase of the Artemis II mission," he continued. "You have our commitment to keep the public as informed as possible on this historic mission.
"We will hold our celebration until this crew is under parachutes and splashes down off the West Coast," Isaacman said.Isaacman said about 51 minutes into the flight, during a planned handover between satellites, there was a temporary loss of communications with the ground team not able to receive data from the crew or spacecraft. However, he said communications have since been restored.
Apr 1, 7:36 PMArtemis II launch in photos
NASA's Artemis II mission launched on Wednesday evening, beginning the crew's 685,000-mile, 10-day journey to and from the moon.
The Orion spacecraft will loop astronauts around the moon and go farther into deep space than humans have ever traveled.
Here's a look at the launch in photos:
Apr 1, 7:11 PMOrion's solar arrays fully deployed
Orion's solar arrays are now fully deployed, powering the spacecraft as it continues its journey toward the moon.In about an hour, the crew will be in high Earth orbit, and will remain there for about 24 hours to conduct systems checks.-ABC News' Briana Alvarado
Apr 1, 7:01 PM'World will be watching': Sen. Maria Cantwell says of Artemis II crew
Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, said Artemis II will establish the foundation for future missions."The world will be watching in awe as the Artemis II crew pushes the limits of what humanity can do by traveling around the moon," Cantwell said in a statement. "This trip lays the groundwork for returning to the moon's surface and staying there."
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Apr 1, 6:45 PMArtemis II crew reaches its initial orbit
The four-person Artemis II crew has reached its initial orbit, one of the first steps as the astronauts head to the moon.
The team will spend about 90 minutes in initial orbit before the second stage fires its engines twice to send Orion to a high Earth elliptical.
Apr 1, 6:36 PMArtemis II crew lifts off for the moon
The Artemis II crew lifted off at 6:35 p.m. ET from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
After years of preparation from various parts of the agency, NASA has officially launched its historic Artemis II mission.
The crew of four, including commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover Jr., and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, is now climbing toward orbit.
About eight minutes after launch, the rocket's core stage engines will shut down and separate from the upper stage, and the spacecraft and the crew will be in space.
According to NASA, they'll be traveling about 4,000 miles farther than the Apollo 13 mission.
Apr 1, 6:26 PMNASA poll confirms final 'go' for launch
NASA has performed the final poll, with all teams giving a "go" for the Artemis II launch.The agency has started the terminal count, which is the final 10-minute countdown before launch.
Apr 1, 6:10 PMNASA closeout crew departs launch padNASA's closeout crew has departed the launch pad after finishing its White Room procedures.Currently, only the Artemis II astronauts -- Christina Koch, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover Jr. and Jeremy Hanse -- remain in the Orion spacecraft at the top of the SLS rocket, ready for launch.
-ABC News' Briana Alvarado
Apr 1, 5:49 PMNASA troubleshooting battery temperature issue
NASA teams are troubleshooting an issue with the temperature of one of the batteries on the Launch Abort System.NASA is reporting that the temperature is out of range for one of the two batteries. The agency says it is not a constraint for launch currently, but it will be if the issue continues when the temperature is checked during the final countdown minutes.
"Engineers investigated a sensor on the launch abort system's attitude control motor controller battery that showed a higher temperature than would be expected. It is believed to be an instrumentation issue and will not affect today's launch," the agency said in a statement.-ABC News' Briana Alvarado
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