NASA’s Artemis II mission lifted off from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39B in Florida at 6:35 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, marking the first crewed flight under the Artemis program and a major milestone in the agency’s return-to-the-Moon effort. According to NASA’s live launch updates, the Space Launch System rocket carried the Orion spacecraft and its four-person crew into flight as the mission began a roughly 10-day journey around the Moon.

NASA said the launch included successful booster separation, fairing separation, and core stage cutoff and separation during the opening phase of flight. The mission is designed to test the systems, hardware, and operational profile needed for future lunar missions and, eventually, crewed missions deeper into space. Artemis II is widely seen as one of the most significant U.S. human spaceflight launches since the Apollo era.

While the launch took place on Florida’s Space Coast rather than in Edgewater itself, it carries statewide significance and is likely to draw interest across Central Florida. The mission highlights Florida’s continuing role as the nation’s launch hub and as the front door for high-profile human spaceflight.