Artemis II: NASA's first crewed mission to the moon since 1972

The Artemis II rocket producing a flame of smoke as it takes off.
NASA's Artemis II Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft lifted off from Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida on April 1, 2026
(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images)