The American space agency NASA successfully launched the Artemis-2 mission on April 2. At 4:05 AM, the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket lifted off carrying four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft toward the Moon. The launch took place from Kennedy Space Center.
This marks the first time since Apollo 17 mission in 1972 that humans have traveled beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO) toward the Moon. The astronauts will orbit the Moon before returning safely to Earth. The mission is expected to last 10 days.
About an hour before liftoff, a technical issue was detected in the Launch Abort System—a critical safety mechanism designed to evacuate astronauts in case of an emergency. The glitch briefly raised concerns over the launch.
However, engineers quickly resolved the issue. The countdown was temporarily paused at the 10-minute mark for additional safety checks. After receiving “all clear” confirmations from engineers overseeing key systems, the mission proceeded successfully.