KENNEDY SPACE CENTER: Artemis II (NASA’s Space Launch System), harbouring 4 astronauts, blasted off from Launch Pad 39B here on 1st April, 2026 at 6.35pm on a 10-day mission to circumnavigate the moon.
Artemis II crew:
1) NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, Artemis II commander.
2) NASA astronaut Victor Glover, Artemis II pilot.
3) NASA astronaut Christina Koch, Artemis II mission specialist.
4) Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, Artemis II mission specialist.
A view from Orion as it orbits above Earth during test flight. NASA astronauts will return to Earth following a ten-day journey around the Moon the very spacecraft.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman stated: “Today’s launch marks a defining moment for our nation and for all who believe in exploration…Aboard Orion are four remarkable explorers preparing for the first crewed flight of this rocket and spacecraft, a true test mission that will carry them farther and faster than any humans in a generation, Artemis II is the start of something bigger than any one mission. It marks our return to the Moon, not just to visit, but to eventually stay on our Moon Base, and lays the foundation for the next giant leaps ahead.”
NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya maintained: “Artemis II is a test flight, and the test has just begun. The team that built this vehicle, repaired it, and prepared it for flight has given our crew the machine they need to go prove what it can do. Over the next 10 days, Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy will put Orion through its paces so the crews who follow them can go to the Moon’s surface with confidence. We are one mission into a long campaign, and the work ahead of us is greater than the work behind us.”
This happens to be NASA’s 1st crewed lunar flight since 1972.
Newspakistan.tv
M. M. Alam is a Pakistan-based working journalist since 1981. Karachi University faculty gold medalist Alam began his career forty-five years ago by writing for Dawn, Pakistan’s highest circulating English daily. He has worked for region’s leading publications, global aviation periodicals including Rotors (of USA) and vetted New York Times as permanent employee of daily Express Tribune. Alam regularly covers international aviation and defense-related events including Salon Du Bourget (France), Farnborough (United Kingdom), Dubai (UAE). Alam has reported thousands of events and interviewed hundreds of people in Pakistan, UAE, EU, UK and USA. Being Francophone Alam also coordinates with a number of French publications.
