3 immaculate photos of the Artemis II launch that will rekindle your childhood dream of being an astronaut
Zoom, zoom, zoom, we’re going to the moon. (Well, around that, anyway.) There’s no shortage of kids’ content about astronauts and space, and for good reason. Kids have been obsessed with the idea of blasting off in a rocket ship since the late 50s, when America and the Soviet Union’s race to be the first in space sparked the space craze, a widespread fascination with all things astronaut.
It’s been nearly 70 years since the space race captured the imagination of children (and adults) everywhere, after which the astronaut obsession slowly faded. Until April 1, 2026, that is, when the Artemis II mission was successfully launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the start of the first manned lunar mission in over 50 years.
“Artemis II, this is the Launch Director – you’re going to launch,” a NASA engineer told the astronauts as the huge spacecraft prepared for liftoff.
“We go for all of humanity”, replied Commander Reid Wiseman.
3 immaculate images of the Artemis II launch
Since much of the Internet wasn’t alive for the Apollo 17 launch in 1972 (including the entire Artemis II crew), it’s no surprise that the newest lunar mission was all the Internet could talk about.
The first video comes from the live launch, where an engineer counts down from 10 before the boosters ignite and Artemis II leaves the launch pad. “And ascent! The crew of Artemis II is now on its way to the moon. Mankind’s next great journey begins.”
The next video comes from the official launch livestream. UT San Antonio professor Chris Combs called it his favorite image from Artemis II, and we can’t say we disagree.
Last but not least is an image of Earth from the Orion spacecraft showing the first signal from a manned spacecraft on its way to the moon in over 50 years.
The Artemis II crew consists of four astronauts: Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency.
“I couldn’t be prouder that these brave four will kick-start our journeys to the Moon and beyond,” Director of Flight Operations Norm Knight said in a press release. “They represent exactly what an astronaut corps should be: a mix of highly skilled and capable individuals with the skills and willingness to take on any challenge as a team.”
“The Artemis II mission will be challenging and we will test our limits as we prepare to put future astronauts on the Moon,” Knight continued. “With Reid, Victor, Christina and Jeremy at the controls, I have no doubt that we are ready to handle any challenge that comes our way.”
