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NASA's Artemis 2 mission lifted off successfully on **April 1, 2026, at 6:24 p.m. EDT (22:24 UTC)** from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39B — sending four astronauts toward the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years.The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the most powerful ever flown, cleared the launch tower in near-perfect conditions. Weather forecasters rated the day 80% favorable, with only thin clouds and mild wind shear monitored during the final countdown. Liftoff proceeded without a scrub.
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Artemis 2 is the first crewed lunar mission since Apollo 17 in December 1972 — a 54-year gap in human deep space travel.
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Four astronauts are aboard Orion for the 10-day free-return lunar flyby:
- **Reid Wiseman** (NASA) — Commander, veteran ISS astronaut
- **Victor Glover** (NASA) — Pilot, first person of color to fly around the Moon
- **Christina Koch** (NASA) — Mission Specialist, first woman to fly a lunar trajectory
- **Jeremy Hansen** (Canadian Space Agency) — Mission Specialist, first non-American to travel around the Moon
All four entered medical quarantine at Johnson Space Center on March 18 before transferring to Kennedy Space Center ahead of the launch date.
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- First crewed SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft flight
- First humans beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17, 1972
- Victor Glover: first person of color around the Moon
- Christina Koch: first woman on a lunar trajectory
- Jeremy Hansen: first non-American to fly around the Moon
- Mission duration: 10 days, splashdown in Pacific Ocean
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## What's Happening on the Mission
Artemis 2 is not a lunar landing — it's a critical proving flight designed to stress-test every system with humans on board before Artemis 3 attempts the surface. The mission profile follows a free-return trajectory: Orion swings around the Moon and uses lunar gravity to slingshot back to Earth, requiring no dedicated lunar-orbit insertion burn.
**Key milestones in the 10-day flight:**
For full coverage, visit https://www.linos.ai/science/artemis-2-launch-result-april-1-2026/
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