Artemis Two Blasts Off: First Crewed Moon Mission in 50 Years

0:00It's April 1st. This is Europe News Today, powered by AI, your European briefing. I'm Cory with the story. NASA's Artemis II mission just blasted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida, marking the first crew trip toward the moon in over 50 years. This giant rocket carried four astronauts, three Americans and one Canadian, launching right at 6.36pm local time after loading up more than 700,000 gallons of fuel. The crew will swing by the moon on a fly by path, heading 252,000 miles into space and passing 4,600 miles. Beyond its far side, for up to 50 minutes there, they'll lose contact with Earth, but no landing this time. It's all about testing systems for future moonwalks and even, Mars trips. Crouch cheered as the astronauts waved heart shapes on their way to the pad, with Commander Reed Weisman calling it a huge win for the team. This comes after two months of delays from fuel leaks, and it's the first such mission

1:00since Apollo 17 back in 1972. President Trump hyped it online, boasting America's space dominance, while King Charles sent good wishes to the Canadian crew member, urging, sustainable exploration and warning against turning the moon into an exploitation zone. The UK's Goon Hilly station is even tracking the flight from Cornwall. As Orion streaks deeper into the cosmos than humans have gone before, this step reignites our lunar dreams, and sets the stage for what's next in the stars.