Lift-off for first manned Moon mission in more than 50 years

Nasa’s first manned Moon mission in more than 50 years that will take astronauts deeper into space than any human has gone before has blasted off.

The 322-foot rocket, carrying four crew members, successfully launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida at 6.36pm local time.

The elite team had entered the capsule several hours earlier where they will remain for the next 10 days with about as much room as a small camper van.

Prior to them boarding, more than 700,000 gallons of fuel (2.6 million litres) was loaded into the spacecraft.

As they headed to the launch pad, the three Americans and one Canadian waved and shaped their hands into hearts to well-wishers.

Commander Reid Wiseman shouted to the crowd: “It’s a great day for us. It’s a great day for this team.”

The so-called lunar flyby around the Moon will send the crew some 252,000 miles (406,000 kilometres) into space before returning to Earth.

The current record for the furthest spaceflight is about 248,000 miles, held by members of the Apollo 13 lunar mission in 1970, which was hit by technical problems.

As they pass approximately 4,600 miles beyond the far side of the Moon, the Orion module will lose communication with the Earth for up to 50 minutes.

While the astronauts will not touch down on the satellite, the Artemis II mission paves the way for a future lunar landing and also lays the foundation to send a crew to Mars.

The UK is playing a part in the mammoth technical operation, with the Goonhilly Earth Station, near Helston, Cornwall, helping to track the capsule on its epic celestial voyage.

The mission previously had to be postponed by two months because of hydrogen fuel leaks and clogged helium lines.

The last time Nasa sent astronauts to the Moon was as part of the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.

Nasa is seeking to return a crew to the lunar surface by 2028, before China does in about 2030.

Hailing the mission ahead of the launch, US President Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social platform: “We are WINNING, in Space, on Earth, and everywhere in between — Economically, Militarily, and now, BEYOND THE STARS.

“Nobody comes close! America doesn’t just compete, we DOMINATE, and the whole World is watching.

“God bless our incredible Astronauts, God bless NASA, and God bless the Greatest Nation ever to exist, the United States of America! President DONALD J. TRUMP”

Earlier, the King also conveyed his “heartfelt good wishes” to the astronauts along with an impassioned environmental plea.

The royal message was sent to crew member Colonel Jeremy Hansen, a former fighter pilot from Canada, where Charles is head of state.

In it, the environmentalist monarch expressed his hope the trip would renew people’s conviction “that we must learn from the lessons of how we have over-exploited and polluted our own planet”.

Amid the fresh space race, Charles said it was vital “that the Moon remains a beacon of peaceful scientific discovery rather than a theatre of exploitation”.

Back in 2023, the King launched the Astra Carta initiative aimed at promoting sustainable, ethical, and responsible space exploration.

In his letter to Col Hansen, Charles wrote: “You will, most certainly, reflect upon the fragile beauty of Earth as it rises above the lunar horizon, just as your predecessors did half a century ago.

“May that sight renew in you, and in all who follow your journey, the conviction that we must learn from the lessons of how we have over-exploited and polluted our own planet, and thus care for the universe, and all life contained within it, with reverence and a true sense of what is sacred.

“In an age when humanity’s reach into the stars grows ever bolder, it is vital that the Moon remains a beacon of peaceful scientific discovery rather than a theatre of exploitation.”

He added: “As you embark on this momentous endeavour, I send you and your fellow crew members my heartfelt good wishes.

“May the stars align in your favour, and may your safe return inspire countless others to uphold the values of sustainability, co-operation and wonder that the Astra Carta enshrines.”