NASA launches Artemis II astronauts on mission around the moon

NASA plans to continue broadcasting live views of the Artemis II mission as the astronauts travel through space over the next 10 days.

The Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft, which had never launched humans before today, lifted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 6:35 p.m. ET. The Orion capsule is now in orbit and is expected to swing around the moon Monday.

NASA's official broadcast continues online for now, with a view of mission control. The agency has said it will also stream live views of space from Orion on its YouTube page.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he called Trump to congratulate him on the successful launch of Artemis II.

Jeremy Hansen, a Canadian astronaut, is one of the four crew members in orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft, a point of pride for Canada. The U.S. is the only nation that has sent astronauts to orbit or land on the moon.

"With Artemis II, Canada becomes only the second nation on Earth to send an astronaut on a lunar mission," Carney wrote in a statement celebrating Hansen and the launch. "This moment reminds us of what Canada has always been: a nation of explorers, builders, and innovators."

Carney and Trump have had a frosty relationship. Carney has been an outspoken opponent of Trump's tariffs and has pushed back against Trump's frequent talk of annexing Canada.

The first couple of days of spaceflight are expected to be hard on the astronauts, Artemis II flight operations director Norm Knight said at a news conference tonight.

“We’re working the crew pretty hard. In fact, when they go to sleep tonight, they’re woken up in the middle of their sleep to do the perigee raise burn,” he said. “And so their sleep’s disrupted, they’re hitting on all cylinders, they may not be feeling well on top of that.”

In anticipation of those challenges, Knight said, the astronauts' training included simulations of the situation they are now going through.

“Now, they weren’t in orbit. They probably were feeling great,” Knight said. “But we got a good gauge: ‘Hey, are we working them too hard?’”

Adjustments could still be made to the schedule based on how the crew fares, he said.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, who commanded the first all-civilian space mission in 2021, said it was more tense to watch the launch than to participate in one himself.

"From my perspective ... it is far less stressful to be strapped into the rocket than to be responsible for it here on Earth," Isaacman said.

Isaacman has launched to space twice aboard SpaceX rockets, first in 2021 and again in 2024, when he participated in the first all-civilian spacewalk.

Isaacman said the pressure was relieved by "the confidence we have in the in the team here at NASA and everyone who contributes to it."

Although the spectacle of the Artemis II rocket streaking across the sky was captivating, the work on the rest of the mission is just beginning.

“We’ve got a lot in front of us,” NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya said at a news conference.

“It’s a big celebration in launch control for the rocket guys,” he said. “The rocket guys can go out and play now, but the spacecraft guys have got a lot of homework.”

Because of a temporary “communications issue” after the launch, the crew for a time could hear messages from mission control, but those on Earth were unable to hear the crew’s responses, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said at a post-launch news conference.

The communications issue happened during a planned handover between satellites around 51 minutes into the fight, Isaacman said.

“There were no issues with the vehicle itself,” he said. “Comms with the crew have been restored. We’re actively working the issue.”

This image, a 3-minute exposure, shows the Artemis II crewed lunar mission lift off from launch pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center.

Keegan Barber / NASA

As viewers tuned into NASA's broadcast of today’s historic Artemis II launch, some may be wondering: Why do they keep talking about integrity?

“Integrity” is the name the crew chose for their Orion spacecraft, which is now in orbit and expected to swing around the moon in six days.

The astronauts announced the name in September.

Mission commander Reid Wiseman said the choice was a nod to the principle that guided the crew and their colleagues throughout their training.

“‘Integrity’ just fit everything,” he told NBC News. “You can be in integrity and you can be out of integrity. And so for us, as the first crew of Artemis, we strive every day to be in integrity.”

What do former Vice President Kamala Harris, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and the band Nickelback have in common?

They're all stoked for the astronauts who just launched on NASA's first crewed flight around the moon in more than 50 years.

"NASA is making history once again and inspiring all Americans to reach for the stars," Cornyn wrote on X.

Harris, who said she had met the crew in person, wrote on X: “Today’s Artemis II launch marks a major step forward in space exploration. Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy: Thank you for your service and for setting the standard of excellence, alongside the teams at @NASA who made this possible. You make the United States and Canada proud.”

Nickelback, the Canadian alt-rock band that has a space-themed song named “Satellite.” wrote: "Burning it to the ground and shooting for the stars. Congrats to the Artemis II crew on a successful launch!"

Mission control briefly lost some of its communications with the crew, but the issue seems to have been mostly rectified, according to audio from NASA's live broadcast.

The crew could hear messages from mission control, but mission control could not hear the crew. Video feeds from Orion were also not available for some time.

NASA says communication with Artemis II crew temporarily lost

02:47

The crew of Artemis II has launched on its lunar mission, but crew members won't reach their closest point to the moon until the sixth day. Here’s some of what is on the mission plan, according to NASA:

Day 1 (today): Now that the mission has launched successfully, the crew will test how Orion handles.

Day 2: The crew plans to get some physical exercise, and then comes the “translunar injection burn” — the last major engine burn that should send the Orion on its path around the moon.

Day 3: A minor engine firing is scheduled to make sure the spacecraft is on the right trajectory.

Day 4: Another trajectory correction burn.

Day 5: The spacecraft is expected to enter the lunar sphere of influence, which NASA describes as “marking the point at which the pull of the moon’s gravity will become stronger than the pull of the Earth’s gravity.”

Day 6: Lunar flyby day: The spacecraft should make its closest approach to the moon. This is also when it will be farthest from Earth. The crew could reach a greater distance from our planet than any humans have gone before.

NBC News’ Ryan Chandler spoke with an aspiring astronaut about what it felt like to watch the Artemis II crew launch into space. The young boy described the crew as “brave.”

‘It was so incredible’: Aspiring astronaut describes watching Artemis II launch

01:31

The four solar array wings have deployed. The wings are about 23 feet long and will help power the spacecraft.

Each has 15,000 solar cells that will convert sunlight to electricity.

The core stage of the rocket has separated from the Orion capsule. The spacecraft's solar array has opened. The next major milestone in the flight will come 49 minutes after liftoff, when the upper stage’s engine will fire to boost Orion to an altitude of 100 miles above Earth. The engine will fire again about an hour later to raise the spacecraft farther, into a high-Earth orbit.

After that, the Artemis II crew members will spend the following 23 hours or so testing all of Orion’s systems while they orbit Earth. That includes the onboard potable water dispenser and air quality system.

The crew members will also rearrange parts of the capsule’s interior to give themselves more room to live and work over the next 10 days.

After about 8.5 hours in space, the astronauts will have a sleep break of four hours, the schedule shows.

The four Artemis II astronauts were able to raise their visors a little more than 11 minutes into their flight toward the moon.

The crew is beginning to move within the capsule and check key systems.

Clear skies, we could see the rocket the whole way up.

Denise Chow / NBC News

NASA says the Artemis crew has reached orbit, now nine minutes into the mission. The crew is now traveling at more than 15,000 miles per hour. Trajectory is good.

The mission is designed to test the rocket and spacecraft, which has never carried humans before, and fly by the moon.

"We're going to put it through its paces," NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said earlier today.

"We'll go into Earth orbit for a little bit, make sure that Orion's doing OK, and then we are sending them," he said.

The Space Launch System's upper stage, together with the Orion capsule, has separated from the rest of the rocket.

The astronauts are now in space.

Rocket's core stage separates, Artemis crew now in space

01:27

Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman told NASA mission controllers on the ground that the crew can see their destination.

“We have a beautiful moonrise, we’re headed right at it,” he said.

The solid rocket boosters (SRBs) detach after NASA's Artemis II Space Launch System rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft lifts off from Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

"Engines, booster, ignition and lift off!" said Derrol Nail, a broadcaster on NASA's livestream, as the rocket launched toward space. "The crew of Artemis II now bound for the moon, humanity’s next great voyage begins."

Cheers in Florida.

The Artemis II crewed lunar mission launches at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Jim Watson / AFP via Getty Images

Artemis just blasted past 5,000 miles per hour, per NASA's livestream, nine miles in altitude, 78 miles down range.

The Artemis II crewed lunar mission launches at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Jim Watson / AFP via Getty Images

We have a liftoff! The booster successfully ignited and the rocket is on its way off the launch pad.

NASA's Artemis II launches historic mission to the moon

02:34

The Space Launch System's main engines have started up with a little more than six seconds to go before liftoff.

And no signs of issues.

Launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson told the Artemis crew that with them are “the hopes and dreams of a new generation.”

“On this historic mission, you take with you the heart of the Artemis team, the daring spirit of the American people and our partners across the globe, and the hopes and dreams of a new generation,” she said.

NASA's livestream shows just a few minutes left before launch. No issues reported.

The Artemis II crew access arm is moving away from the rocket. Six minutes...

The launch of Artemis II is expected at 12 seconds after 6:35 p.m. ET, according to NASA's livestream.

Members if the Artemis II crew said during the final "go" poll what the mission means to them.

Pilot Victor Glover:“We are going for our families.”

Christina Koch: “We are going for our teammates.”

Jeremy Hansen: “We are going for all humanity.”

Artemis II crew: ‘We are going for all humanity’ 

03:55

The countdown is now entering a phase known as "terminal count." This occurs at the T-minus 10-minute mark, when a computer will take over control of the final minutes of the countdown.

This mostly automated sequence will feel quick, with lots of call-outs over NASA's communication channels as the rocket's various systems switch to internal battery power.

Just before the T-minus 6-minute mark, the Space Launch System's main engines will power up. When the clock finally ticks down to T-minus 0, the booster will ignite and lift off.

OSB2, where many NASA employees and VIPs are watching, just erupted in cheers to the "go" launch poll — it could be heard from the press site.

We are "go" for launch! Artemis launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson completed a final go/no-go poll of the various launch teams.

Calling the Artemis II launch “the opening act” to more flights and an eventual landing in the moon, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said that performance of the new capsule and rocket is a key aspect of the mission.

“I think the takeaway from this is gaining extreme comfort in the Orion spacecraft,” Isaacman said on NASA’s broadcast. “This is very different than what we’ve done for more than a half-century.”

“The velocities that that spacecraft is going to re-enter at, it’s going to be new territory for us, we want to get our arms around that completely,” he said.

It will be the first time that humans have flown in the Orion spacecraft and at 250,000 miles, it will be the farthest that humans have ever been sent into space, Isaacman said.

Another launch is anticipated for 2027, and a planned landing in the Artemis IV mission is planned for 2028, he said.

NASA has cleared the battery issue that workers were investigating with the Orion capsule's launch abort system.

Officials said things are "go" for launch.

The Orion capsule has many nice features: It’s pressurized, can withstand 5,000-degree-Fahrenheit heat and has solar panels. 

Living space is not one of those perks. 

The spacecraft is 16.5 feet wide, with a habitable volume of around 330 cubic feet. That’s about the size of a camper van, according to the Canadian Space Agency. 

Crew members will spend 10 days together in these tight quarters. They’ve been trained to eat, sleep, exercise and yes — use the bathroom — in such close proximity to one another. 

The crew members will use sleeping bags attached to the wall to get rest. They’ll get 30 minutes each day to exercise with a device called a flywheel. And fortunately, Orion’s space toilet does have a privacy door.

Claustrophobic? There's plenty of space out the window.

A NASA graphic illustrates the path the Artemis II crew will take through space in their Orion capsule over the course of the 10-day mission.

Trajectory for the Artemis II mission around the moon.  NASA

It won’t just be the lucky people at Cape Canaveral who will be able to see Artemis II streaking in the sky, but people all over Florida and a little beyond.

The Kennedy Space Center today released a map that shows a visibility range for when people may be able to see the launch in the sky, from launch +10 seconds to launch +70.

People gather to watch the launch of Artemis II from the A. Max Brewer Bridge in Titusville, Fla.  Gerardo Mora / Getty Images

NASA employees react as astronauts leave the Operations and Checkout Building for a trip to Launch Pad 39-B and a planned liftoff on NASA's Artemis II moon rocket. Chris O'Meara / AP

People gather to watch the launch of Artemis II from the A. Max Brewer Bridge in Titusville, Fla. Gerardo Mora / Getty Images

People gather to watch the launch of Artemis II from the A. Max Brewer Bridge in Titusville, Fla. Gerardo Mora / Getty Images

The crew that helped the astronauts into the Orion capsule and prepared the spacecraft for launch are departing the launch pad. This is yet another milestone in the countdown toward liftoff.

Remember the eclipse glasses many of us wore for the solar eclipse in 2024? Some are headed to the moon.

If Artemis II launches today, the astronauts will have the unique experience of seeing a total solar eclipse from the far side of the moon.

“The moon will block out the light of the sun, and they'll be able to see the corona,” Nicky Fox, NASA's science chief, said. The eclipse glasses will allow the crew to enjoy the full spectacle.

Engineers are investigating a possible battery issue with the Orion capsule's launch abort system. One of the two batteries for the launch abort system was "out of temperature range," which could cause problems during the final minutes of the countdown, when a computer takes over control of the Space Launch System rocket.

Workers are trying to understand if the problem was an issue with a sensor or if it was a problem with the battery itself.

Less than one hour from the launch window, the weather has improved enough to be considered a 90% go, according to Derrol Nail, a broadcaster on NASA's livestream.

The weather had been considered an 80% "go" into Wednesday afternoon as some mild showers entered the forecast.

Nail said skies were clearing on the ground.

"That is great, and for anybody who's here in the launch area knows that is certainly viewable. They can see that by just looking up," Nail said.

The towers surrounding Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center are part of the spaceport’s protection against lightning strikes.

The three metal towers stand at around 600 feet tall are part of a lightning protection system and act as massive lightning rods in Florida’s storm-prone weather.

In 2022, NASA said that the most powerful lightning strike ever recorded at Kennedy occurred on April 2, when lightning hit the pad perimeter four times.

The lightning protection system has been in place since 2011 — and that same year there was a lightning strike at Kennedy, although outside of the pad’s perimeter, NASA said in 2022.

The towers help provide protection to flight hardware. There was no damage in the 2022 event, NASA said.

Thick, fluffy clouds that had been surrounding the launch pad have mostly dissipated. With clearer skies emerging, excitement at the Kennedy Space Center press site is mounting.

There's less than an hour to go in the countdown, and this place is buzzing with activity.

Roughly eight minutes after liftoff, the Space Launch System's main engines will cut off, and the booster's upper stage with the Orion capsule will separate from the rest of the rocket. At that point, the astronauts will be in space.

Around 49 minutes after liftoff, the upper stage's engine will fire to boost Orion to a safe altitude of 100 miles above Earth, according to NASA. The engine will fire again about an hour later to raise the spacecraft even more, into a high-Earth orbit.

After that, the Artemis II crew members will spend the following 23 hours or so testing all of Orion's systems while orbiting Earth to make sure they are in good working order. The astronauts will test, for instance, that the onboard potable water dispenser properly functions and that the air quality system is properly removing carbon dioxide from the air.

The crew members will also rearrange parts of the capsule's interior to give themselves more room to live and work over the next 10 days.

NASA's closeout crew has closed the hatches to the Orion spacecraft and are leaving the White Room. The weather is suitable for launch, NASA said on its livestream.

The astronauts are sealed inside the capsule where they could spend the next 10 days and are ready to launch.

NASA team closes capsule hatch ahead of Artemis II launch

00:48

The Artemis II mission isn’t just being watched by people all over the Earth — but also in orbit 250 miles above it.

Astronaut Jessica Meir, currently on the International Space Station, posted a video on social media of members of that crew wishing the best for those on board the new rocket.

“Godspeed, Artemis II!” they said, with a laptop showing coverage of the impending launch in Florida.

NASA was able to fix the issue reported with the flight termination system, and the range is considered a "go," according to NASA.

The Eastern Range, a division of the U.S. Space Force, is responsible for sending a destruct signal to a rocket if it veers off path. In that kind of disaster scenario, the crew capsule separates to save the astronauts, and the rocket self-destructs to avoid risk to people on the ground in its flight path.

Today's launch window opens in 90 minutes, at 6:24 p.m. ET. It will remain open for two hours, according to NASA. That means the agency has until 8:24 p.m. ET, if needed, before it would have to stand down for the attempt today.

A lengthy launch window is often helpful if engineers are working on specific issues with the rocket or spacecraft, or if mission controllers are trying to wait out unfavorable weather.

NBC News meteorologists are forecasting rain showers in the area of the launch pad until 9 p.m. ET Wednesday. Lightning is not expected. The showers are expected to be small and isolated. Winds are also expected to be gustier than earlier forecasts suggested.

The risk of showers could delay the launch.

The photo below shows a small shop that sells Artemis II merchandise — T-shirts, patches, plushies — to NASA employees and members of the press. There has been a steady stream of customers all afternoon.

Members of the media and NASA employees line up to buy Artemis merchandise at the Kennedy Space Center. Jay Blackman / NBC News

Engineers are currently working on an issue with the rocket's flight termination system, according to NASA.

The flight termination system is used by the Eastern Range, a division of the U.S. Space Force, to send a destruct signal to a rocket in case it veers off path. In that kind of disaster scenario, the crew capsule separates from the rocket to save the astronauts, and the rocket explodes into small pieces. All rockets have such a system on board.

"It's a very critical safety component, in terms of how the range keeps the public safe here," a NASA commentator said on the agency's livestream, explaining how the Space Force typically monitors the airspace around Kennedy Space Center and along the launch corridor.

The issue has to do with the Eastern Range's ability to communicate with the flight termination system, NASA said in an update.

"Without assurance that this system would work if needed, today’s launch would be no-go. However, engineers have devised a way to verify the system and are currently preparing to test this solution," it said.

In particular, agency officials said engineers are looking to repurpose existing hardware in NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building to try to solve the issue.

In addition to the four astronauts aboard Artemis II is a baseball cap-wearing zero gravity indicator named “Rise.”

Lucas Ye, an 8-year-old boy from California, and his family won the Moon Mascot contest to design the figure that will let astronauts know when they are in zero gravity.

“Rise” is a smiling sphere with rosy cheeks and a cap with the Earth as the hat and space and stars as the brim.

“Earthrise, and that’s pretty much it,” Ye said in explaining the name.

Ye said that he was “really surprised and very happy” to have won the contest and that his mascot is on board the spacecraft.

As the launch window nears, all eyes are on the weather in Merritt Island, Florida.

With about three hours to launch, NASA launched a weather balloon to measure winds in the upper parts of the atmosphere. The balloon found that winds were about 10-11 knots (11.5 to 12 mph) and blowing onshore, according to NASA's livestream.

Winds in the upper atmosphere are important in the event of an emergency. If astronauts needed to use the launch abort system, the goal would be to take them offshore for a water landing in the Atlantic Ocean.

Strong onshore winds could push the capsule back on land.

A band of light rain storms pushed through the area earlier this afternoon, but the forecast is expected to be clear closer to the launch window, which begins at 6:24 p.m.

Members of the media will have the chance to watch today's launch from the lawn outside the Kennedy Space Center press site, which is about 3 miles away from the launch pad.

NASA's Artemis II Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft on Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center today. Denise Chow / NBC News

It's a historic location: Journalists have viewed every crewed U.S. launch from this spot since the Apollo 4 mission in 1967, according to NASA.

The lawn outside the press site is also home to an iconic digital countdown clock that ticks down the hours, minutes and seconds to liftoff.

NASA has quite the menu prepared for the Artemis II crew members throughout their 10-day journey.

Their meals and snacks will include vegetable quiche, breakfast sausage, macaroni and cheese, barbecued beef brisket, tortillas, butternut squash, spicy green beans, cauliflower, granola, almonds, cashews, and fruit salad. 

Since the Orion capsule doesn’t have refrigeration, most of the meals are freeze-dried, and all contain shelf-stable ingredients. Eating in orbit is also trickier than it is on Earth, which means NASA has to make the meals easy to prepare and consume in a microgravity environment while also minimizing pesky crumbs that could float around in the capsule.

The crew members will have scheduled time each day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They are also allotted two flavored beverages per day, according to NASA. The beverage choices include coffee, green tea, lemonade, apple cider, cocoa and smoothies.

Space food isn’t necessarily bland. NASA said five different hot sauces will be flying around the moon with the Artemis II crew, along with flavorings such as honey, cinnamon, spicy mustard, maple syrup, jams and nut butters.

For dessert, the astronauts will have their pick of cookies, pudding, cake, cobbler, chocolate and candy-coated almonds, NASA said.

NASA TV via Reuters

Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen prepares to enter the Orion crew capsule for the Artemis II mission in a still image from video.

For NASA, Artemis II is a kind of appetizer. 

“Artemis II is the opening act. It’s a test mission, right?,” NASA administrator Jared Isaacman said in a recent interview with NBC News. 

During Artemis II, a 10-day mission, astronauts will fly by the moon and come within about 6,000 miles of its surface as they test equipment on Orion spacecraft. 

After that, NASA plans to launch the Artemis III mission by mid-2027, which aims to demonstrate key technology in low-Earth orbit. Those tests will include rendezvous and docking exercises between Orion and at least one commercial lunar lander. SpaceX and Blue Origin are both working on landers; NASA plans to use whichever is completed first to carry its astronauts from lunar orbit down to the moon's surface during the Artemis IV mission.

NASA aims to launch Artemis IV in 2028. The plan for that mission calls for two astronauts to spend about a week exploring the lunar south pole.

Launch fever descended on central Florida’s “Space Coast” yesterday, where locals and visitors jockeyed for prime spots to watch the Artemis II mission lift off.

Pat Dimond said she traveled from Colorado to watch the historic event with her childhood friend Kathy Walker. They snagged front-row seats Saturday morning at the end of a pier at Space View Park, which is located across the Indian River from the launch pad.

Pat Dimond at Space View Park yesterday. Davvon Branker for NBC News

With more than 30 hours still to go until the launch, Dimond and Walker were prepared to camp out on Tuesday to protect their spots. They even used a cable lock to secure their folding chairs to the dock.

Dimond said she journeyed to Florida for this launch to honor the memory of her husband, who died three years ago of Covid-19 and was a self-professed space nerd.

People gather at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Merritt Island, Fla., yesterday.  Davvon Branker for NBC News

“He had been a space guy since the beginning of [Project] Mercury. He went to space camp the first year that they let adults go. He knew everything about every launch and he always wanted to see a launch,” she said.

Read the full story here.

As the Artemis II astronauts swoop around the moon, they will catch glimpses of the far side of the moon that have never been seen by humans.

That's because the far side of the moon always faces away from Earth.

“It turns out there’s about 60% of the far side, I think, that has never been seen by human eyes because of the lighting conditions,” NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, who will serve as commander of the Artemis II mission, said in a media briefing on Friday. “Apollo always wanted that light on the front side of the moon for their landing and launch capability. … We’ve seen it in satellite photos, but humans have never, ever seen that before. That’s cool.”

After finishing checks on the astronauts' space suits, the closeout crew exited the Orion capsule and began steps to close its two hatches. It's a careful process because a single hair or piece of dust could interfere with the spacecraft's seals, according to NASA.

The closeout crew will test the seals with a hand pump to see if they hold pressure, perform some other tests and then pressurize the entire capsule if all goes well.

Vantor

An aerial view of NASA's Artemis II Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft on Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center today.

With the astronauts strapped into the Orion spacecraft, the crew is going through a series of checks on voice communications, umbilical connections and their suits.

The astronauts did several rounds of verbal communications confirmations with Mission Control.

"Houston has all four crew loud and clear," mission controllers said.

Later, the astronauts flipped their visors down as their suits went through a pressure check to verify that there were no leaks.

Artemis II crew waits for liftoff as NASA teams conduct final checks

04:27

One of the last men to step on the moon will watch today’s launch from afar. Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison Schmitt, 90, won’t attend today’s Artemis II launch, but he is cheering on the crew from his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Schmitt was invited but couldn’t make the cross-country trip.

“I’d like to be along with them,” he told me earlier this week, adding: “The gang will really have a great time.”

Last man on the moon reflects on his experience and the Artemis II mission

05:21

Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, the launch director for NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program, shared a message for the astronauts. 

“Today, you carry the work of thousands and the hopes of millions," Blackwell-Thompson said in a prerecorded video. “The team is ready, the vehicle is ready. You are ready.”

With just under four hours until the launch window opens, the astronauts climbed into the Orion spacecraft.

Commander Reid Wiseman and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen were the first two to enter the capsule. They then began a series of checks to confirm they had voice communications with mission control. The other two astronauts, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, entered shortly afterward, where they received suit checks, too.

The astronauts will be strapped into a five-point harness and connected to a cord that controls air flow, among other things.

Soon, the closeout crew will close the crew module and the exterior hatches on the launch abort system, which is a lengthy, careful process.

President Donald Trump will be monitoring the planned launch of Artemis II from the White House on Wednesday, a White House official told NBC News.

“During President Trump’s first term, the Artemis program was formally established to return humanity to the Moon. President Trump is excited about the next phase with the historic upcoming Artemis II launch," White House spokesperson Liz Huston said in a statement. "This effort will strengthen American leadership in space, usher in scientific discoveries, and serve as the proving ground for missions to Mars.”

Trump weighed in on Truth Social, writing:

"For the first time in over 50 YEARS, America is going back to the Moon! Artemis II, among the most powerful rockets ever built, is launching our Brave Astronauts farther into Deep Space than any human has EVER gone," Trump wrote. "We are WINNING, in Space, on Earth, and every in between."

Around 2:20 p.m. ET, the astronauts took an elevator up the fixed service structure on the launch pad, then walked down the crew access arm to a space known as the "White Room." That will be their final stop before climbing aboard the Orion spacecraft, which is perched atop NASA's Space Launch System rocket.

The astronauts have arrived at Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center after a 20-minute drive in the astrovan, flanked by a convoy of SUVs with flashing lights.

The first mission to use this launch pad was Apollo 10, which lifted off on May 18, 1969. That mission was, similarly, a rehearsal for a moon landing.

The pad has been modified several times since, according to NASA. The uncrewed Artemis I mission launched from this pad in 2022.

Commander Reid Wiseman flashes a heart sign as he poses for a photo with his family. Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

Pilot Victor Glover with his family today. Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

The crew can't get too close to their families because they have been in quarantine to avoid germs before their flight.

The van carrying the astronauts just drove by the press site. On either side of the road, there were employees and other members of the press watching. At other points along the astronauts' drive, crowds had gathered to cheer them on, some people waving American flags.

A helicopter with armed guard flew overhead as the astronauts approached the launch pad.

The astronauts just climbed aboard their "astrovan" for a 20-minute ride to the launch pad.

The 27-foot motorhome is equipped with a TV and sound system. At least a few of the crew members planned to watch portions of the movies "Top Gun" and "Point Break" during their short ride, according to NASA's livestream.

The Artemis II astronauts stepped outside the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at 1:50 p.m. ET. The crew members were greeted by a cheering crowd of NASA staff, as well as members of the media and their families.

One of Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen’s daughters could be heard shouting, “Go Canada!”

"It’s a great day for us. It’s a great day for the team,” Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman said.

The Artemis II crew members walk out before traveling to the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center. Jim Watson / AFP - Getty Images

Wiseman, Hansen and their fellow crew members Christina Koch and Victor Glover cannot hug or get too close to their families because they have been in quarantine to avoid germs before their flight.

They will next board their "astrovan" to head over to the launch pad.

The astronauts are on their way from the suit-up room to greet their families ahead of their launch. Seen in the photos below are the families of Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hanson and NASA astronaut Victor Glover.

Canadian astronaut Jenni Gibbons has come out of the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building to send off the Artemis II crew. Gibbons is Jeremy Hansen’s backup.

She said everything so far has gone “smoothly.”

Canadian astronaut Jenni Gibbons. Denise Chow / NBC News

I'm sitting here watching the end of suit-up with former NASA astronaut Steve Robinson, who flew on four space shuttle missions from 1997 to 2010. He says right around this time there’s no anxiety, no nerves. The crew is just ready to go.

Sen. Mark Kelly is at Kennedy Space Center today to watch the launch.

He joked about being available if the Artemis II crew needs a backup and said he made sure his granddaughter is watching the launch today at school.

Retired astronaut Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., attends the launch of the Artemis II. Denise Chow / NBC News

Kelly, who traveled to space four times as a NASA astronaut between 2001 and 2011, commanded the Space Shuttle Endeavour on its final flight.

NASA

The four Artemis II astronauts are getting into their custom-fit spacesuits in the Astronaut Crew Quarters of the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building.

A team of suit technicians helped the crew members put on the suits and test them for leaks. As of 1:20 p.m. ET — about five hours from the opening of the launch window — all four astronauts had removed their helmets, which means they had passed the leak tests, according to NASA’s livestream. The suits’ outer layer is fire-resistant, and the gloves are touch screen compatible.

This photo shows pilot Victor Glover, left, and commander Reid Wiseman as they prepare for launch.

Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson says they have given the crew a briefing on the process of tanking the rocket. She says she also shared the weather with the crew — an 80% chance of go — watching some precipitation that they believe will dissipate before launch. 

“There is nothing like a launch day,” she added.

We are just a few minutes from the closeout crew heading to the pad to do the finishing touches before the astronauts head out to get strapped in.

Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos offered a brief message of encouragement to the Artemis II crew on X today: "Let's go!"

Bezos' rocket company is working with NASA to build a lunar lander that could carry astronauts to the moon's surface in a future Artemis mission.

NASA announced at 12:23 p.m. ET that it had completed the fast fill of liquid oxygen into the Space Launch System rocket's upper stage — a milestone in its tanking operations.

For the most part, the remainder of the fueling process will involve replenishing and topping off liquid oxygen fuel, but a significant chunk of the work to get more than 700,000 gallons of cryogenic propellant into the booster is done.

NBC News tech manager Barry Sprauge built this lego model of NASA's Space Launch System rocket and Orion capsule. The Artemis II mission will be the first time the system launches humans into space.

Jay Blackman / NBC News

On the drive to NASA's press site, cars stream past what will be SpaceX's Gigabay, a huge facility where the company eventually plans to build its Starship vehicles.

Starship, SpaceX's next-generation rocket system, is a key part of NASA's efforts to return to the moon. For a moon landing — which the agency plans for the Artemis IV mission in 2028 — astronauts are slated to dock with a lunar lander made either by SpaceX or Blue Origin while they orbit the moon. Then they'll use that commercially developed vehicle to descend to the surface.

It’s a bold time at NASA, and the Artemis II launch is meant to be just a first step, according to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, who assumed the role last year. 

“It’s time to start believing again,” Isaacman said Tuesday in an interview with NBC News in which he outlined NASA’s new ambitions.

By next year, he said, NASA should be sending uncrewed rockets to the moon on a cadence measured in months, as opposed to years. 

“Artemis II is the opening act. It’s a test mission, right?” he said. 

“Then, we’ll set up for 2028, where American astronauts will return to the surface of the moon, and we’re going to build a moon base. We’re going to establish an enduring presence, realize its scientific, economic value, make it a proving ground for what comes next.”

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman holds a news conference with the Artemis II crew at Kennedy Space Center on Jan. 17. Joe Raedle / Getty Images

"Nothing but gratitude for the men and women of this great nation. It is time to fly," Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman said in a post on X yesterday afternoon.

Artemis II astronauts set for first lunar fly-by in half a century

04:30

The roads heading onto Merritt Island, where NASA's Kennedy Space Center is located, were already starting to get congested by 8 a.m. local time.

Highway signs flashing "Launch Today" warned motorists to plan ahead and prepare for delays.

At the sold-out Jetty Park in Cape Canaveral, a line of cars stretched for about a half-mile waiting to check in before the park opened at 7 a.m. ET.

Traffic in Jetty Park, Cape Canaveral, this morning. Charlie Gile / NBC News

There is a definite buzz of excitement at the press site here at the Kennedy Space Center. We see members of the astronaut corps walking around, smiling. Former NASA space shuttle astronaut Mike Massimino told us this morning that the Artemis II crew is ready to go. 

Just after 7:30 a.m. ET, the call to go for fueling came from mission managers. Right now, the core stage is in fast fill mode, and after that, NASA will transition into topping mode, in which its teams get the tanks to 100% full. Crews will keep topping the rocket's tanks off the whole day. 

Right now, the astronauts are awake and having breakfast. Then they will proceed into the suit-up room, where they will put on their launch suits, tailored perfectly for each astronaut. The room has a history: It's the same place where Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins suited up before they went to the moon. The space features photos of astronauts getting suited up over the years. NBC News' Al Roker previously spoke to the crew in the room and said they all felt the history that came with being inside it.

People gather in Titusville, Fla., ahead of the launch today. Marco Bello / Reuters

The first step of the hourslong fueling process for NASA's Space Launch System rocket began around 7:44 a.m. ET.

Artemis II begins fueling process ahead of mission to the moon

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Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo / AFP - Getty Images

The Artemis II mission will be the first time NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion capsule carry people into space. Building each vehicle has taken years — a process NASA has documented in photos at every stage.

Scroll through more images here of the rocket’s construction, the capsule’s design, the crew’s training and the lead-up to today’s launch attempt.

The crew wanted to convey a sense of unity and togetherness, so Victor Glover, the Artemis II mission pilot, said he and his fellow astronauts designed their mission patch to make “A II” — for “Artemis II” — styled to look like the word “All.”

The Artemis astronauts unveil their emblem on April 2, 2025. Robert Markowitz / NASA

“We want everybody to be a part of this mission,” Glover said. “There’s a lot of little things that will divide us. It’ll fill in the cracks and expand, if we let it. And it would be nice if this could just be some caulking, some reinforcement to fill in those spaces, to prevent division.”

The four crew members will begin suiting up this morning before they head to the launch pad in the afternoon.

Countdown to NASA’s historic Artemis II launch

02:09

Space enthusiasts watch the sunrise today from a park in Titusville, Fla., near the Kennedy Space Center. Gregg Newton / AFP - Getty Images

The launch is more than 11 hours away, but space enthusiasts were already camped out this morning in anticipation.

A boat moves along the Indian River past the Kennedy Space Center at sunrise. Gregg Newton / AFP - Getty Images

Space fans camped out at a park in Titusville this morning. Gregg Newton / AFP - Getty Images

The road to today’s launch attempt has been long, winding and bumpy for NASA, not to mention inordinately expensive.

Combined, the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft have cost more than $44 billion to develop over more than a decade. And the Artemis program, which originally aimed to return astronauts to the moon’s surface by 2024, has faced numerous setbacks.

The program’s ever-ballooning price tag has been one of several major targets for its skeptics, many of whom share a “been there, done that” attitude about going back to the moon. The years of delays are another, especially given that China aims to put its own astronauts on the moon by 2030. Some experts and former astronauts have also voiced concerns about the Orion capsule’s heat shield, which sustained unexpected damage in the uncrewed Artemis I flight nearly four years ago and will soon have to protect four crew members as they plunge through Earth’s atmosphere.

Can Artemis II inject enough momentum into NASA’s return-to-the-moon program to appease its critics?

A test of the Space Launch System’s booster in 2016. Bill Ingalls / NASA file

Read the full story here.

The crew will begin suiting up this morning and are expected to arrive at the launch pad in the afternoon.

Countdown to NASA’s historic Artemis II launch

02:09

NASA began fueling the enormous Space Launch System rocket at 7:44 a.m. ET. In total, more than 700,000 gallons of cryogenic propellant will be loaded into the booster, a process that can take up to five hours.

NASA’s live broadcast of the launch attempt will begin at 12:50 p.m. ET on its YouTube channel. The agency also plans to broadcast live views from the Orion capsule during the mission. 

Clear skies over Kennedy Space Center. Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

The four astronauts will be driven to the launch pad roughly 4 hours and 40 minutes before liftoff, and crews will help strap them into their seats aboard the Orion capsule. The countdown clock will tick down to a liftoff time at 6:34 p.m. ET, but there will be several built-in holds, when the clock will pause for specific activities. You may notice, for instance, that the countdown clock will pause at 40 minutes before liftoff, after which the launch director will conduct a final “go-no go” poll.

At the T-minus 10-minute mark, a computer will take over the final minutes of the countdown — a mostly automated sequence known as “terminal count.” At that point, things will move quickly as the rocket’s various systems switch to internal battery power, the main engines power up and, at the T-minus 0 mark, the booster finally ignites for liftoff.

The forecast shows an 80% chance of favorable conditions for the Artemis II launch, according to the Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron, which provides official updates for NASA’s launch activities.

'TODAY' show's Al Roker shares weather forecast for Artemis II launch

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The main concerns are cloud coverage and the potential for high winds at the time of liftoff. Cumulus clouds, in particular, are closely monitored before space launches because rockets can trigger lightning as they pass near or through a thick cloud layer. Such clouds are also associated with storms and potentially dangerous updrafts and downdrafts of wind.

“Over the course of a two-hour window, weather can change and things can move around,” Artemis flight director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson said Monday at a news briefing. “And so, you know, when I see an 80% chance of ‘go’ and a two-hour window, I feel pretty good about our chances.”

The four astronauts preparing to lift off today are NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch and Victor Glover and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. They will be the first crew members to launch aboard NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion capsule.

If that’s cause for any trepidation, the astronauts haven’t let it show.

From left: Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen. Josh Valcarcel / NASA

“The four of us, we are ready to go. The team is ready to go. The vehicle is ready to go,” Wiseman said Sunday in a media briefing from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral.

NASA selected the four astronauts in 2023. Wiseman will be the flight’s commander, with Glover serving as pilot and Koch and Hansen as mission specialists. 

The three NASA astronauts are all spaceflight veterans, but Hansen will make his spaceflight debut. He will also hold the distinction of being the first Canadian to venture toward the moon.

Read the full story here.

If anyone can offer advice to the four NASA astronauts slated to launch today on a trip around the moon, it’s Harrison Schmitt.

Astronaut Harrison Schmitt in 1972. Eugene A. Cernan / NASA

Schmitt, 90, left his boot prints on the lunar surface in 1972, as part of Apollo 17 — the final mission in the program, which was the last time humans traveled to the moon.

“Every day, every hour, every minute, is a new experience,” Schmitt said of his experience.

Former NASA astronaut Harrison Schmitt.  NBC News

As for what he’d tell the Artemis II crew: “Make sure that you’ve got your training down pat. Be ready for anything unexpected, but have a great time. Enjoy it.”

Read the full story here.

Launch day for NASA’s Artemis II mission is finally here. The long-awaited flight will send four astronauts — Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch and Victor Glover of NASA and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen — on a 10-day journey around Earth and the moon.

The Artemis II crew will not land on the lunar surface, but the mission could notch several other milestones: It will be the first time astronauts have launched toward the moon in more than 50 years, and it will be the first time NASA’s Space Launch System moon rocket and Orion spacecraft carry humans. And as the crew members swing around the moon, they could venture farther from Earth than any humans ever have before.

Follow along as we cover all the action leading up to a targeted liftoff from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center at 6:24 p.m. ET.