MERRITT ISLAND, FL ~ U.S. astronauts are set to whip around the moon for the first time in five decades as NASA’s Artemis II rocket is set for launch Wednesday.
The launch is set for 6:24 p.m. from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying four astronauts for the mission. The crew will not be landing on the moon, though; instead, they will first orbit the Earth, then travel to the moon, where they will fly around it before returning to Earth in a figure-eight pattern. The journey is expected to take about ten days.
The last time humanity reached its lunar neighbor was the Apollo 17 landing in late 1972.
Those not in attendance to watch the flight in Florida can instead watch the launch live from NASA’s official YouTube channel.