The Artemis II rocket launches into the sky, trailing a bright plume of flame and smoke against a backdrop of clouds. In the foreground, an American flag and an Artemis mission flag flap in the wind on a flagpole, partially silhouetted against the rocket’s ascent.

In pictures: Artemis II roars into space on historic Moon mission

By the Visual Journalism team 2 April 2026 Science

The Artemis II rocket blasted into the sky on Wednesday night as Nasa’s first crewed mission to the Moon in half a century got under way.

While the crew won't land on the lunar surface, their journey around the far side of the Moon and back to Earth will be the furthest any astronaut has travelled in space.

The rocket lifted off at 18:35 local time (22:35 GMT) at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, just 11 minutes into its two-hour launch window.

A wide shot of the Artemis II rocket lifting off from its launch pad. A large cloud of smoke and dust billows out at the base as the rocket’s engines ignite. The orange‑and‑white rocket rises above the pad against a blue sky.
A distant view of the Artemis II rocket ascending, leaving a tall column of smoke from the launch pad below. The rocket appears at the top of the frame with bright engine flames, set against a clear blue sky with scattered clouds.
A close‑up view of the Artemis II rocket climbing steeply into the sky, with a long, bright plume of flame trailing behind it. The sky appears dark blue, contrasting with the glowing exhaust.

The powerful rocket left a trail of smoke in its wake after the successful lift-off as it reached a speed of more than 10,000mph (16,100km/h).

The twin boosters separated from the rocket as it shot towards the edge of the Earth's atmosphere, before crossing the boundary into space.

A tall, twisting column of white smoke left by the Artemis II rocket stretches upward into a deep blue sky, forming a curved, textured plume that narrows toward the top where the rocket has ascended out of frame.
A distant view of the Artemis II rocket during ascent, showing two bright booster flames peeling away in opposite directions and leaving faint smoke trails, while the main rocket continues upward as a glowing point of light against a dark blue sky.

Nasa will be releasing images from the mission over the next few days but a live video feed from on board the Orion crew capsule gave us the first glimpse of what the astronauts are seeing.

"Great view," declared spacecraft Commander Reid Wiseman. "We have got a great Moonrise."

A view from the Orion spacecraft showing part of its exterior structure and solar panels in the foreground, with the curved edge of Earth visible in the background against the blackness of space. The planet appears bright blue and white, showing cloud patterns over the surface.

There were concerns earlier in the day that the weather could scupper the launch but the clouds cleared just in time for the Artemis II crew to begin their journey.

Crowds of people gathered along Florida’s Space Coast to watch the event, with many of them at viewing points in Titusville, a city across the Indian River from Nasa’s launch complex.

A line of people stands on a low concrete barrier, looking up at the Artemis II launch. Several hold phones toward the sky, while others watch with hands clasped or shading their eyes. The group includes young adults and teenagers, all lit by the bright sky behind them.
A family watching the Artemis II launch. A man holds a baby while a woman beside him carries a young boy on her shoulders and cheers, holding up her phone to film the rocket. Other spectators in the background also look up, some taking photos.
A crowd of spectators watches the Artemis II launch, many holding up phones to photograph or film the moment. A woman in the foreground records with a smartphone, while people behind her look upward, some wearing Nasa‑themed shirts and caps.

The astronauts were carried into space by Nasa’s mega Moon rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS) - the most powerful rocket the US space agency has ever built.

Rebecca Morelle, the BBC’s science editor who was at the launch, described the moment as “spectacular” as she became visibly emotional at the sight.

You can watch her reaction to the launch in the video below.

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The crew of four is made up of Canadian mission specialist Jeremy Hansen and three Americans - Nasa Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover and mission specialist Christina Koch.

There were some emotional moments, but they otherwise looked quite relaxed as they were waved off by friends and family at the Kennedy Space Center before being driven to the launch site.

They will be the first people to orbit the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972.

The four astronauts, dressed in their distinctive orange suits, walk out of the operations building and wave to friends and family at Nasa’s Kennedy Space Center ahead of the launch of the Artemis II
Pilot Victor Glover poses for a photo with his family as he leaves the operations building. He is smiling and showing a thumbs up to the camera as his family, who are wearing black t-shirts with a photo of Glover on, smile.
Nasa astronaut Christina Koch smiles and waves as she boards the astronaut van with the crew of the Artemis II mission before heading to launch pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center

The Artemis II mission represents far more than the 10-day journey itself and is seen as a pivotal moment for space exploration.

Nasa hopes it will bring a new understanding of the Moon and eventually lead to the first lunar landing since the Apollo missions of the 1960s and 70s.

Speaking after the launch, Nasa administrator Jared Isaacman said: “After a brief 54 year intermission, Nasa is back in the business of sending astronauts to the Moon.”

An image of the Moon taken during the Apollo 16 mission in 1972 that shows dozens of craters varying in size across the surface, with large dark patches in some areas.
A view of the Moon captured during the Apollo 16 mission in 1972

Image credits

Brendan McDermid/Reuters, Jim Watson/AFP, Cristóbal Herrera/EPA/Shutterstock, Steve Nesius/Reuters, Nasa TV, Marco Bello/Reuters, Miguel J Rodriguez Carrillo/AFP, Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images, NASA/Central Press/Getty Images.

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