New York, 2 April 2026 (dpa/MIA) – Humans set off for the moon for the first time in more than half a century on Wednesday.

Four astronauts lifted off aboard an Orion capsule using the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 6:35 pm (2235 GMT).

The 10-day Artemis II mission is carrying US astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Reid Wiseman, along with Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, on a flight around the moon.

"For the first time in over 50 years, humans are Moonbound," US space agency NASA posted on social media platform X.

"Today's launch marks a defining moment for our nation and for all who believe in exploration," NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said after the launch.

"Artemis II is the start of something bigger than any one mission. It marks our return to the Moon, not just to visit, but to eventually stay on our Moon Base, and lays the foundation for the next giant leaps ahead."

US President Donald Trump hailed the mission even before launch.

"We are WINNING, in Space, on Earth, and everywhere in between — Economically, Militarily, and now, BEYOND THE STARS," Trump wrote on his online platform Truth Social just hours before liftoff. "Nobody comes close! America doesn't just compete, we DOMINATE, and the whole World is watching."

The launch of the crisis-plagued Artemis II mission has previously been postponed several times due to technical problems.

US astronauts were last on the moon in 1972.

Overall, the US remains the only country to have landed humans on the moon, with 12 astronauts reaching the lunar surface during the Apollo missions between 1969 and 1972.

A new race to the moon among spacefaring nations has been under way for years. The US's biggest rival is China, which aims to send people to the moon by 2030.

Photo: dpa