Artemis II rockets into history

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Four astronauts on Artemis II have launched into space from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It is the first crewed mission to the Moon in more than half a century. The team will travel 253,000 miles in ten days. The main objective is to test new spacecraft and equipment, studying the impact of long space flights on human health. If all goes well, it will pave the way for a crewed mission to the lunar surface, seen by Nasa as a crucial stepping stone towards an eventual trip to Mars. A highlight will be day six, when the crew swings around the far side of the Moon and loses contact with the Earth for up to 50 minutes. But the journey was spectacular from the off. “Great view,” said the spacecraft commander as the astronauts entered the upper atmosphere. “We have got a great moonrise.”