NASA releases footage of 1st moon orbit since 1972
NASA just shared awesome new footage of the Artemis II rocket launch from April 1, 2026, the first time astronauts have gone around the moon since 1972.
The crew (Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen) spent 10 days circling the moon.
The videos show off this historic moment from some seriously cool angles.
Artemis III planned for mid 2027
These clips use advanced imaging to capture details you'd usually miss, filtering out the blinding engine flames and revealing hidden moments of liftoff.
More than 300,000 people traveled to the Space Coast to watch the launch from dozens of locations around KSC and surrounding cities.
Artemis II sets things up for future missions: Artemis III is scheduled to launch in mid-2027, with Orion to rendezvous and dock with each lander separately to test the spacecrafts' interoperability, paving the way for an actual moon landing with Artemis IV.