NASA's Artemis II mission launched from Kennedy Space Center at 6:35 p.m. EDT, marking the first crewed flight in the Artemis program. The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, a 322-foot-tall behemoth generating 8.8 million pounds of thrust at liftoff, carried astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA's Jeremy Hansen. The crew will orbit the Moon, testing systems critical for future Mars missions.

The flight progressed through key milestones: solid rocket boosters separated at 6:37 p.m., followed by jettisoning the adapter fairings. At 6:43 p.m., the core stage main engine cutoff occurred, and the spacecraft adapter separated. The next major step—deploying the European Service Module's solar array wings—will unfold next, providing 63 feet of wingspan with 15,000 solar cells to power life-support and communications.

Post-launch, the crew will execute proximity operations, testing manual maneuvers near the interim cryogenic propulsion stage. NASA will hold a news conference at 9 p.m. EDT, followed by preparations for Orion's orbital adjustments. These tests validate hardware for deep-space operations, including the perigee raise maneuver and apogee raise burn to refine the spacecraft's trajectory.

Artemis II's 10-day journey around the Moon prioritizes safety and system validation. Success paves the way for lunar surface exploration and eventual Mars missions, with NASA emphasizing incremental progress in its return to deep-space exploration.