LAST UPDATE | 1 Apr

FOUR ASTRONAUTS HAVE blasted off aboard a massive NASA rocket on a long-anticipated journey around the Moon, the first crewed lunar flyby in more than 50 years.

With an intense roar that reverberated far beyond the launchpad, the enormous orange-and-white rocket carried three Americans and one Canadian away from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center at around 6:35pm local time (11:35pm Irish time).

NASA teams and spectators alike cheered on the spacecraft as it ascended away from Earth, a milestone that finally came to fruition after years of delays and massive cost overruns.

Liftoff.

The Artemis II mission launched from @NASAKennedy at 6:35pm ET (2235 UTC), propelling four astronauts on a journey around the Moon.

Artemis II will pave the way for future Moon landings, as well as the next giant leap — astronauts on Mars. pic.twitter.com/ENQA4RTqAc

— NASA (@NASA) April 1, 2026

Around 40 minutes before the earliest possible take off, NASA was investigating an issue with one of the two batteries on the Launch Abort System, with the battery temperature “out of range”.

However, NASA then said the battery sensor issue would not impact on the launch and that the issue was with the instrumentation.

When going through final checks, the astronauts said they were “go for launch” on behalf of their families, their team-mates, and all of humanity.

The team, clad in bright orange suits with blue trim, includes Americans Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch along with Canadian Jeremy Hansen.

Before lift off, Artemis II launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson told the astronauts: “On this historic mission, you take with you the heart of this Artemis team, the daring spirit of the American people and our partners across the globe, and the hopes and dreams of a new generation.”

Artemis II has been years in the making and faced repeated setbacks and massive cost overruns.

The launch window opened at 6:24 pm (11:24 Irish time) and at around 6:26pm, it was “T minus 10 minutes and counting” until launch.

Meanwhile, the battery issue wasn’t the first hiccup to arise.

Anxiety briefly spiked when less than two hours before the launch window was to open, NASA said engineers identified a technical issue related to the rocket’s flight termination system, a key safety mechanism.

But cheers rang out among spectators gathered around a live broadcast when a US space agency official said the problem was resolved.

NASA employees react as astronauts leave Operations and Checkout Building Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

The approximately 10-day mission will see the astronauts hurtle around Earth’s natural satellite without landing, much like Apollo 8 did in 1968.

The journey marks a series of historic accomplishments: it will send the first person of colour, the first woman and the first non-American on a lunar mission.

The astronauts will also set a record by venturing farther from Earth than any human before.

It is also the inaugural crewed flight of NASA’s new lunar rocket, dubbed the Space Launch System (SLS).

The mammoth orange-and-white rocket is designed to allow the United States to repeatedly return to the Moon, with the goal of establishing a permanent base that will offer a platform for further exploration.

Repeated setbacks

The journey marks a series of historic accomplishments: it will send the first person of color, the first woman and the first non-American on a lunar mission.

If the mission proceeds as planned, the astronauts will set a record by venturing farther from Earth than any human before.

It is also the inaugural crewed flight of NASA’s new lunar rocket, dubbed the Space Launch System (SLS).

The mammoth orange-and-white rocket is designed to allow the United States to repeatedly return to the Moon, with the goal of establishing a permanent base that will offer a platform for further exploration.

Artemis II on the launch pad NASA NASA

The mission was originally due to launch as early as February.

But repeated setbacks stalled it and even necessitated rolling the rocket back to its hangar for analysis and repairs.

Some 400,000 people were expected to gather near the so-called Space Coast to watch history in the making, according to local authorities.

‘BEYOND THE STARS’

The Artemis programme had been facing pressure from President Donald Trump, who has pushed the pace of a program that aims to see boots hit the lunar surface before his second term ends in early 2029.

Artemis II’s objectives include verifying that both the rocket and the spacecraft are in working order to pave the way for a Moon landing in 2028.

That deadline raised eyebrows among experts, in part because Washington is relying on the private sector’s technological headway.

The current era of American lunar investment has frequently been portrayed as an effort to compete with China, which is aiming to land humans on the Moon by 2030.

Trump was tied up this evening addressing the nation in his first such speech since US and Israeli forces began strikes on Iran on 28 February, igniting a regional war and a global energy crisis.

But he took a moment to drop a line on social media ahead of the planned launch.

“We are WINNING, in Space, on Earth, and everywhere in between – Economically, Militarily, and now, BEYOND THE STARS. Nobody comes close! America doesn’t just compete, we DOMINATE, and the whole World is watching,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

- © AFP 2026 and with additional reporting from Diarmuid Pepper