On April 1, NASA’s Artemis II rocket launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. With a crew of four, three Americans and one Canadian, Artemis II will orbit the Earth before heading to and around the Moon. If all goes to plan, the capsule will orbit the Moon at a distance that will take it further from the Earth than any previous manned mission.
The capsule will then return to Earth – around 10 days after launch – in an almost free-fall flight, having used the Moon’s gravity to sling it back toward home. The Artemis program was started during President Donald Trump’s first term and the goal is to put Americans back on the Moon’s surface in 2028.
