[WHP 580 Harrisburg, PA] Local Lancaster Family at Cocoa Beach Watches The Launch

The Pletcher Family of Lancaster, Pennsylvania experienced a once‑in‑a‑lifetime moment as they watched the historic launch of Artemis II from Cocoa Beach, up close and personal. Standing just miles from the launchpad, they felt the ground rumble and the excitement soar as NASA’s next giant leap into deep space lifted off before their eyes. From the glow of the rocket to the shared awe of the crowd, the unforgettable sight marked a powerful family memory—one that connected generations through wonder, exploration, and the promise of humanity’s return to the Moon.

NASA has launched its Artemis 2 mission — sending four astronauts toward the Moon for the first time in over 50 years. The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket lifted off from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39B in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Wednesday (April 1), carrying the crew-named Orion spacecraft, Integrity, into space.

According to Space.com, the rocket cleared the tower and climbed into the atmosphere, carrying its four-person crew on a 10-day voyage around the Moon. Liftoff occurred at approximately 6:35 p.m. ET — just minutes after the original 6:24 p.m. ET target time.

The four astronauts aboard are mission commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch — all of NASA — and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). It is the first crewed lunar mission since Apollo 17 in December 1972.

NASA has launched its Artemis 2 mission — sending four astronauts toward the Moon for the first time in over 50 years. The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket lifted off from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39B in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Wednesday (April 1), carrying the crew-named Orion spacecraft, Integrity, into space.

According to Space.com, the rocket cleared the tower and climbed into the atmosphere, carrying its four-person crew on a 10-day voyage around the Moon. Liftoff occurred at approximately 6:35 p.m. ET — just minutes after the original 6:24 p.m. ET target time.

The four astronauts aboard are mission commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch — all of NASA — and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). It is the first crewed lunar mission since Apollo 17 in December 1972.

Pre-Launch Drama

The countdown was not without tension. Engineers flagged two separate issues in the hours before liftoff. First, the U.S. Space Force's Eastern Range reported a problem with its flight termination system, a safety mechanism that can destroy a rocket if it veers off course. That issue was resolved, and the range cleared the launch to proceed.

Shortly after, a temperature reading for one of two batteries in Orion's launch abort system (LAS) came in out of range. The Planetary Society reported that NASA determined the LAS battery issue was an instrumentation problem that would not affect the launch. Weather conditions also improved, reaching a 90% "go" rating ahead of liftoff.

The Crew

Wiseman, a Navy test pilot and former chief of NASA's Astronaut Office, led the crew out of the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at Kennedy Space Center to cheers. "It's a great day for us, a great day for this team," he told the gathered crowd.

Glover, born in Pomona, California, became the first African American astronaut to live long-term aboard the International Space Station during a 2020 mission. Koch, from Grand Rapids, Michigan, set the record for the longest continuous spaceflight by a woman during her 2019 ISS stay. Hansen, from London, Ontario, is the first Canadian to fly on a deep-space mission.

Mission Goals

Kennedy Space Center describes the mission's primary goal as verifying modern human capabilities in deep space — paving the way for long-term lunar exploration. Artemis 2 is a test flight, designed to stress-test Orion's life support, navigation, manual piloting, and communications systems far from Earth.

The mission will also carry scientific experiments, including the AVATAR tissue-on-a-chip program, which studies how human DNA responds to deep-space radiation and microgravity. The crew will also test exercise equipment designed for use during future lunar missions and conduct geological observations of the Moon's surface.

Powered by more than 750,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, the 322-foot SLS rocket — NASA's largest since the Saturn V — generated more than 8 million pounds of thrust at liftoff. Shortly after launch, Orion's solar arrays successfully deployed, providing more than 11 kilowatts of power to the spacecraft.

The Journey Ahead

On day six of the mission, the crew will fly around the far side of the Moon at an altitude of between 4,000 and 6,000 miles above the lunar surface — farther from Earth than any humans have ever traveled. On day 10, Orion will reenter Earth's atmosphere at roughly 25,000 miles per hour before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Francisco, where a U.S. Navy ship will recover the crew.

NASA is scheduled to hold a post-launch press conference at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday (April 1).

If Artemis 2 is deemed a success, NASA plans to move forward with Artemis 3, which would see Orion dock with a lunar lander in low-Earth orbit, followed by Artemis 4 — a crewed Moon landing mission targeting the lunar south pole, currently planned for 2028.