WATCH: NASA launches Artemis II, first manned mission to the moon in more than 50 years

The launch took place from Kennedy Space Center during the designated time slot (6:24 pm to 8:24 pm ET). A powerful rocket carries four astronauts: Reed Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen on a 10-day journey around the moon and back to Earth.

Although astronauts will not land on the moon and will remain thousands of miles from the nearest site, the mission is an important step toward future lunar landings. It will test life support and other systems on the Orion spacecraft, which is designed to carry humans into deep space.

NASA plans to send astronauts to the moon on future missions, possibly as early as 2028 using additional spacecraft built by private companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin.

The last time astronauts walked on the moon was in December 1972 during the Apollo 17 mission. Since then, interest in lunar exploration has declined, and NASA has shifted its focus to missions closer to Earth, including the space shuttle program and the International Space Station.

The Artemis program was revived during Donald Trump’s presidency and continued under his successor, with Artemis 1 launching a successful unmanned mission around the moon in 2022.