NASA launches first crewed moon mission since 1972 (VIDEO)

NASA launched Artemis II, its first crewed flight around the moon in more than 50 years, on Wednesday.

After a brief delay due to technical issues, a rocket carrying NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canada’s Jeremy Hansen, lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

As part of their 10-day journey, the astronauts will circle the moon and return to Earth in an Orion capsule. It is the first crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972.