Three American astronauts and a Canadian astronaut launched on Wednesday aboard the first rocket to return humans to the moon in more than 50 years, as part of the “Artemis 2” mission. The crew succeeded in reaching Earth's orbit in preparation for the trip to the moon.

Published on: 04/01/2026 - 16:04 Last updated: 04/05/2026 - 15:54

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The NASA rocket, carrying four astronauts on the Artemis 2 mission on a ten-day round trip around the moon, launched successfully and without any obstacles on Wednesday evening from Florida.

Ten minutes before liftoff, Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen said from his seat: “We are launching for all of humanity.”

Three American astronauts and one Canadian set off from the legendary Kennedy Space Center - from which the Apollo mission astronauts had previously launched - to launch the first return trip to the moon in more than 50 years.

Eight minutes after liftoff, the Orion capsule separated as planned from the massive tanks of the SLS rocket, which propelled it into space and placed it in orbit around Earth.

Successful launch of the Artemis 2 mission

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The "Artemis 2" program comes about half a century after the "Apollo 11" mission, during which the United States was able to send the first human on the surface of the moon in 1969. Apollo 11 came in response to the former Soviet Union's launch of the "Sputnik" satellite in 1957. This represented a starting point in that era for the space race between the two countries.

In ancient Greek mythology, Artemis symbolizes the goddess of hunting, wild animals, and the moon. At the same time, she is the twin sister of Apollo, the god of the sun, music and poetry.

The "Artemis 1" mission sparked this program in November 2022, when the "Orion" vehicle took off empty and without a crew into space after a series of postponements and two failed launch attempts.

In a surprising move, NASA announced in late 2025 the acceleration of preparations to launch the “Artemis 2” program amid pressure from President Donald Trump, who renewed his commitment to sending American astronauts to the moon as soon as possible.

What are the objectives of this mission, who will participate in it, and how will it be organized? France 24 reviews some details.

What is the Artemis 2 space mission?

It is the second mission within the "Artemis" program implemented by the American space agency NASA. It is the first mission to use the "Orion" spacecraft, which will carry four astronauts to the vicinity of the moon before organizing an upcoming mission called "Artemis 4", which will allow the astronauts to land on the surface of the moon.

The operation will be carried out via the Space Launch System rocket, which is the most powerful rocket built by NASA so far, allowing it to quickly pass through the layers of the atmosphere before the Orion spacecraft loaded with astronauts separates and continues its path towards the vicinity of the Moon.

What is the goal of the Artemis 2 space mission?

The primary goal is to send four astronauts to the vicinity of the Moon without landing on its surface, in order to test the vital systems and technologies required before other missions whose ultimate goal is to land on the surface of the Moon and explore it.

The Artemis 2 mission is, above all, a precise test flight. It aims, on the one hand, to examine the rocket that will transport it, the capsule, as well as the various vital systems on board the vehicle, on the other hand.

During the first day, in the first orbit around the Earth, the crew will focus on verifying the readiness of critical systems, most notably the water system, to ensure their successful operation in complex space conditions.

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Other objectives of the mission will also include studying the health status of the Artemis 2 astronauts. This will enable researchers from NASA to collect new data about the effect of long space flights on the human body, mind, and behavior.

NASA has confirmed on its website that these results will help it develop future missions, new protocols, and more effective preventive measures, with the aim of enhancing the protection of astronauts during upcoming missions to the moon, and even to Mars.

Who are the astronauts who will travel to the vicinity of the Moon on the “Artemis 2” mission?

Four astronauts will be on board the “Orion” spacecraft, which will reach the vicinity of the moon after only a few days. Three of them are Americans and the fourth is Canadian.

1- Reed Wiseman (50 years old): American astronaut and former US Navy officer. NASA selected him in 2009 as part of the 20th class of astronauts that graduated in November 2011.

He launched his first mission to the International Space Station in May 2014, where he spent 165 days in space.

After returning to Earth, Wassmann served as Deputy Chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA, before becoming Head of the Office itself. He left this position in 2022 to devote himself to preparing for the lunar mission.

2- Victor Glover (50 years old): He is the pilot of the Artemis 2 mission. After being selected as an astronaut in 2013, he worked on NASA teams supporting several launches before being assigned to his first space mission in 2018. He is the first black astronaut to participate in such a mission.

Glover launched to the International Space Station in November 2020 aboard the first operational flight of Elon Musk's SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, where he served as pilot. He spent 168 days in the orbital laboratory, including four spacewalks. He previously served as a pilot in the US Navy before being appointed as an aide to a congressman on military defense issues.

3- Christina Cook (47 years old): She is an electrical engineer. She was chosen as the only woman to have stayed on the International Space Station for the longest time, approximately 328 days. She also participated in three all-female spacewalks for NASA. She is the first woman to travel to the vicinity of the moon.

4- Jeremy Hansen (50 years old): He works for the Canadian Space Agency. He previously worked as a fighter pilot. This will be his first space flight. He will be the first non-American astronaut to reach this distance in space.

What stages will the “Artemis 2” mission go through before it reaches the vicinity of the moon?

After taking off on Wednesday evening from a space base in the US state of Florida, the mission crew will not head directly towards the moon, but will first enter orbit around the Earth.

There, the astronauts will perform a series of checks and maneuvers to ensure the Orion spacecraft is ready and safe.

This stage is very important because the vehicle has never transported humans before. If no technical problem is encountered, the mission will then proceed to other stages. The most notable of which is the vehicle leaving Earth orbit and heading towards the moon.

This trip may take between three to four days, during which the crew will continue to conduct additional tests and carry out various scientific experiments.

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When approaching the moon, astronauts will rotate in its orbit and fly over its far side. At this unique moment, they are expected to break the Apollo 11 mission record, becoming the astronauts who have been furthest away from Earth.

During their long and exciting travel, they will also record their slightest observations with the aim of helping NASA choose the landing site for another “Artemis” mission in the future. What are the stages?

How important is the Artemis 2 space mission?

After the “Artemis 1” program, through which NASA succeeded in sending a vehicle without a crew, the “Artemis 2” mission comes to embody a new reality, which is successfully sending a vehicle (the Orion spacecraft) containing humans into deep space.

This space experiment will in fact pave the way for another mission called “Artemis 4,” which will allow the astronauts who will participate in it to land on the surface of the moon for the first time in nearly half a century.

In general, the importance of this mission lies in testing the effectiveness of navigation and communications systems and how to control a vehicle located in deep space, in addition to collecting other space data and information, a task that may facilitate other programs of this kind in the near future.

How will the Orion spacecraft return, a risky mission?

The return journey takes 3 to 4 days. One of its most prominent stages will be re-entry into the atmosphere. It is one of the most dangerous moments of the mission.

It is worth noting that during the “Artemis 1” mission, the heat shield protecting the vehicle was subjected to unexpected damage, according to NASA.

Therefore, the space agency re-adjusted the vehicle's path so that its angle of entry into the atmosphere became less severe and put less pressure on the heat shield. Once this stage is passed, the vehicle will be slowed down using powerful parachutes, followed by landing in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California.

According to what was reported by the Canadian Space Agency, the four astronauts will cover a distance of approximately one million kilometers. It starts from the Kennedy Center in Florida before returning to California, passing of course by the moon.

France 24

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