NASA’s Artemis II: Will This Historic Moon Mission Break 50 Years of Space Exploration?

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NASA has begun the countdown to the Artemis II launch.

NASA has scheduled the crewed Artemis II mission to launch for the Moon at 6:24 p.m. ET on the 1st.

Yonhap News reports that NASA expects favorable launch conditions through April 6, even if weather forces a delay.

If Artemis II launches successfully, it will be the first crewed mission to reach lunar orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972 — roughly 50 years ago.

NASA says the Orion capsule, carrying the crew, will first orbit Earth, then perform a lunar flyby, swinging once around the Moon before returning to Earth.

The flight has drawn attention because the crew includes people of color, women and a Canadian — a contrast to the Apollo era, which featured only white American men.

President Trump wrote on Truth Social, “For the first time in over 50 years, America is heading back to the Moon,” adding, “Artemis II, one of the most powerful rockets ever built by humankind, will launch and send our brave astronauts farther into space than any humans before.”

He continued, “We are winning in space, on Earth, and in every arena between — economically, militarily, and now beyond the stars. No one can catch us.”

He emphasized, “America doesn’t just compete; it dominates. And the whole world is watching.”