Artemis II: Astronauts launch into space for NASA's first mission to the moon in half a century

SPECIAL insurance coverage | cynthia II makes historical set in motion

Artemis II launch: Astronauts ready as countdown begins

How Canada earned a seat on Artemis II

'This is bucket list': Space fans gather in Florida to watch Artemis II launch

How Jeremy Hansen trains for space — including the worst-case scenario

What will be going through Hansen's mind before takeoff?

NASA prepares for a historic journey to the Moon

Why are we going to the moon?

Hansen on getting ready for the moon

'How do you brush your teeth in space?' Canadian astronaut tackles questions from B.C. Kids

If everything goes to plan, Jenni Gibbons won’t go to space

Artemis II: What it's like to be there covering the launch

What an astronaut tells their family before going to space

At nine minutes after launch, the astronauts are over 160 kilometres above Earth and at the beginning of their journey around the moon. 

The crowd on the ground in Florida is cheering, clapping and shouting, "Oh my God," as they watch the rocket shoot into space. 

"Go Artemis!" one person yells.

Just over three minutes into the launch, the Orion has crossed the boundary into space.

The Artemis II mission has launched, sending off the four astronauts into their historic deep-space mission. 

If all goes well, they will fly past the moon in six days' time.

"We are going for all humanity," Hansen said as the crew confirmed they are ready to fly.Wiseman said it was "full send" for the crew. In response, Artemis II launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson said: "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."  

The countdown clock was briefly frozen at 10 minutes as NASA worked through final preparations. That means the launch window won't open at 6:24 p.m., but it still leaves plenty of time for liftoff to take place today.

As NASA ran final checks, we heard Wiseman confirm the crew is a "go."

We're just around the corner from Space View Park on Florida's Space Coast.

This is one of the prime viewing spots for liftoff, about 20 kilometres from Launch Pad 39B across the Indian River.

I've spoken to parents like David Queseda, who brought their children here to witness an historic moment and maybe inspire them to consider a career in science or even astrophysics.

Jackie Davis brought her 15-year-old son to show him that everything is possible for him, if he works hard. She says it's a message she didn't have growing up, so seeing the first Black man — Glover — prepare to go into deep space is a huge inspiration. 

A mission like this strikes people differently depending on their age — whether they remember the first 1969 moon walk, or are dreaming about a future that may include visiting Mars.

All those hopes and dreams are being felt by people here waiting to watch the launch.

As the four astronauts slingshot their way around the moon, they'll get a fantastic — if brief — look at it up close and personal, including the moon's far side.

Even so, at their closest they'll still be somewhere between 6,500 and 10,000 kilometres from the moon's surface. (By way of comparison, Vancouver to St. John's, as the crow flies, is about 5,000 kilometres.)

So what will it look like? Put a basketball in your hand and hold your arm straight out sideways.  To the Artemis astronauts, that's about the size the moon will appear out the window, as they whizz past it.

Former astronaut Robert Thirsk, the first Canadian to fly a long-duration expedition aboard the International Space Station, says the 10-day mission will be like the Tour de France for Hansen.

He said that all astronauts are aware of the risks of spaceflight, particularly with a new rocket — but the risks don't compare with the benefits of representing your country in space, fulfilling childhood dreams and showing the world the benefits of cros-country collaboration.

And then there's the view.

"He's going to the moon! No human being has been there for 50 years. He's going to see some things that no one has ever seen before. The dark side, the back side of the moon … seeing the Earth and the moon together in the same frame. That's going to be worth the 10 days."

Roberta Bondar on what it feels like to launch into space

Roberta Bondar, Canada's first female astronaut, talked about some of the emotions Hansen would be going through today.

"You want to be at the top of your game," she said. "You want to be optimized for everything. You want to remember everything, and you also want to have some memory of that emotion, that moment. And that's really a tough job to have both of those things happening at the same time."

Earlier this afternoon, the Artemis II crew made a walk-and-wave for onlookers. Bondar said during such an event, you want to present yourself as the "courageous person that you know you are and that everyone is expecting you to be.”

"And that is why you don't want to trip."

She remembers being driven to the launch area in 1992 for her space shuttle mission; the rocket "looked like it was going to eat us alive; it was off-gassing and seething."

The launch itself was "like being inside a Roman candle where everything happens at once and the noise is almost deafening."

Bondar said it's a very rough two minutes to start, before the ride becomes smoother — even as the pressure increases against your body as the craft moves faster and faster, finally ending with the free-floating feeling, like being at the top of the roller-coaster.

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