Artemis II heads to the moon with first crewed mission since 1972

(The Center Square) – America is going back to the moon, after Artemis II lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., Wednesday evening, more than five decades after Americans last set foot on the moon. The lunar-bound spaceship lifted off shortly after 6:30 p.m. from the Kennedy Space Center, the first mission to the moon since 1972, when Apollo 17 spent over three days on the surface of the moon. Artemis II is being manned by three American astronauts and one Canadian, commanded by Ret. U.S. Navy Capt. Reid Wiseman, piloted by U.S. Navy Capt. Victor Glover, along with mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen. Artemis II marks some historical firsts for NASA. Koch will be the first woman astronaut to travel to the moon, while Hansen is set to be the first Canadian astronaut to make the trek. The Artemis II mission will orbit the moon and is expected to last 10 days. The Orion spacecraft is expected to travel nearly