The NASA mission dubbed Artemis 2 has been years in the making after facing repeated setbacks, but is finally scheduled to take off from Florida as early as April 1 at 6:24 pm (2224 GMT). HOUSTON, United States — Four Artemis astronauts were zooming towards the Moon late Thursday after a major engine firing, a milestone that commits NASA to the first crewed lunar flyby in more than half a century. Thursday's nudge came one day after the enormous orange-and-white Space Launch System (SLS) rocket carrying the Orion capsule launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the long-anticipated journey around the Moon. If all proceeds smoothly, the astronauts could also set a record by venturing farther from Earth than any human before. RELATED: After 50 years: Meet the 4 astronauts on Artemis 2 Moon mission

Source: Philippine Star April 03, 2026 07:26 UTC