'Another giant leap for mankind': NASA's Artemis II now orbiting Earth after historic Moon mission launch
The mission launched from Florida with four astronauts aboard – three US and one Canadian – as the King sent good wishes to those aboard
NASA has launched its first manned mission to the Moon in more than 50 years, with the Artemis II spacecraft successfully launching from Cape Canaveral in Florida and now orbiting the Earth.
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The historic mission, which is set to take the four astronauts deeper into space than any human has gone before, blasted off shortly after 11:30pm UK time on Wednesday.
NASA was forced to fix a 'crucial' problem in the run-up to launch after mission control reported an issue with the flight termination system (FTS) aboard the Artemis II rocket.
A second battery temperature issue detected on the FTS just one hour before it was due to launch.
The FTS system is essentially the abort system, which can destroy the rocket if it veers off course or poses a safety threat.
As the launch approached and the T-minus 10 countdown began, Commander Reid Wiseman shouted to the crowd: “It’s a great day for us. It’s a great day for this team.”
Four NASA astronauts – Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch and Victor Glover and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen – are travelling aboard the 322-foot rocket for this historic mission.
Read more: Artemis II: Everything you need to know about the historic Moon mission launch
Read more: King wishes NASA astronauts well ahead of historic lunar mission
The 10-day mission will see the astronauts conduct two laps of the earth after separating from boosters, venturing to the far side of the Moon - around 252,000 miles from Earth.
The first fly-by of the Moon is set to take place on day six of the mission.
The mission, won't, however, see the astronauts touch down on the Moon's surface and instead acts as a test run - with the next moon landing scheduled to take place in 2028.
The group will be the first to launch toward the moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972 - more than 50 years ago.
Earlier on Wednesday, the King sent his “heartfelt good wishes” and an impassioned environmental plea to astronauts preparing to blast off on NASA's first Moon mission in more than 50 years that will take them deeper into space than any human has gone before.
The royal message was sent to one of the four crew members, Colonel Jeremy Hansen, who is from Canada, where Charles is head of state.
During the so-called lunar flyby, the Orion spacecraft will travel around 4,700 miles beyond the far side of Earth’s natural satellite, setting a new record.
While the astronauts will not touchdown on the Moon, the Artemis II mission paves the way for a future lunar landing within the next couple of years.
The UK is playing a part in the mission, with the Goonhilly Earth Station, near Helston, Cornwall, helping to track the capsule on its epic celestial voyage.
Speaking at a news conference at Florida’s Kennedy Space Centre, Nasa associate administrator Amit Kshatriya said: “As we enter the pre-launch phase, the teams are in a strong posture, and the mission remains on track.”
He added: “The vehicle is ready. The system is ready. The crew is ready.”
He went on: “I have complete confidence in this team of the Nasa workforce. For everybody else, 53 years ago humanity left the Moon and did not return. Now we go back.”
Artemis launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson said the countdown to launch started at 4.44pm local time on Monday.
She added: “It is an exciting time. It’s an exciting time for this team and our crew and really our nation and the world.
“All indications are right now we’re in excellent, excellent shape as we get into count.”
Nasa chief flight director Emily Nelson said: “Our teams in mission control and our crew members have been spent the last two years dedicated to training for this particular mission, developing all of the products associated with this flight, and they are ready to go.
“The opportunity is immense for us to finally get the opportunity to send our crew farther than anyone’s gone before.”
The mission previously had to be postponed by two months due to hydrogen fuel leaks and clogged helium lines.
The last time Nasa sent astronauts to the Moon was during Apollo 17 in 1972.
The new Artemis programme aims for a two-person landing in 2028.