The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launched the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft as part of the Artemis II mission, the first manned mission to the Moon since 1972. The liftoff took place from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral at 18:35 local time.

On board the spacecraft are NASA astronauts Reed Weisman, Christina Koch, and Victor Glover, as well as Canadian Space Agency representative Jeremy Hansen. The launch is being broadcast live on NASA's official resources.

According to the mission plan, on the sixth day of the flight, the spacecraft will make its closest approach to the Moon, after which it will begin its return journey to Earth without landing. The total duration of the flight will be approximately 10 days.

The Artemis II mission is a key step in the program to return humans to the Moon. SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell previously stated that landing astronauts on the surface of the Moon could occur before 2030.