Artemis II launches towards the Moon: humans head there for the first time in half a century

NASA has launched Artemis II, the first crewed flight to the Moon in more than half a century. The SLS super heavy-lift rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral, and the Orion spacecraft entered Earth orbit.

On board are NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. Glover will be the first Black person, and Koch the first woman, to travel to the Moon.

Engineers had to resolve a number of technical issues before launch. "Great view," Wiseman said during the ascent. According to NASA officials, the crew are in great spirits.

The astronauts will not land on the Moon. Over ten days they will fly around it and may travel farther from Earth than any humans before.