NASA''s Artemis II mission launched successfully, sending four astronauts on a trajectory around the Moon in the first crewed lunar mission since Apollo 17 in December 1972. The crew includes Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, making this the most diverse crew in lunar mission history.

Victor Glover becomes the first African-American astronaut to fly to the Moon, and Christina Koch the first woman on a lunar trajectory. Jeremy Hansen represents Canada''s contribution under the Artemis Accords partnership. The mission uses the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft for a roughly 10-day journey that will take the crew around the far side of the Moon before returning to Earth. Artemis II is a critical precursor to Artemis III, which plans to land the first woman and first person of color on the lunar surface, establishing a sustainable human presence on the Moon.