Trump congratulates the Artemis II crew as they prepare to launch the lunar mission
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President Donald Trump on Tuesday celebrated NASA’s Artemis II mission, which is expected to send American astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit for the first time in more than five decades.
“Today at 6:24 PM EST, for the first time in over 50 years, America is returning to the Moon!,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Artemis II, among the most powerful rockets ever built, launches Brave Astronauts farther into Deep Space than any man has ever traveled. WE WIN, in Space, on Earth, and everywhere in between – Economically, Military, and now, ABOVE THE STARS. No one comes close!”
“America isn’t just competing, we’re ruling, and the whole world is watching,” he added. “God bless our amazing Astronauts, God bless NASA, and God bless the Greatest Nation that ever existed, the United States of America!”
The Artemis program was launched during President Donald Trump’s 2017 inauguration as part of a broader campaign to return American astronauts to the moon.
NASA HAPPENS TO BUILD A MOON BASE AS WE CHALLENGE CHINA TO A NEW EXPERIENCE
NASA’s Space Launch System rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft set for the Artemis 2 mission is seen at Launch Complex 39B at sunrise at the Kennedy Space Center, Tuesday, March 24, 2026, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (John Raoux/AP Photo)
Artemis II was originally intended for an earlier launch but faced delays following technical problems identified during testing, including fuel and helium leaks that required additional repairs to the rocket’s Space Launch System.
The four astronauts assigned to Artemis II – Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch from the US, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen – are expected to orbit the moon and return, marking the first crewed mission beyond low-Earth orbit since 1972.
Although these missions will not land on the lunar surface, they are designed to carry astronauts farther from Earth than any crewed mission since the Apollo era.
NASA INITIATES DISTURBANCE REVIEW UNDER ISAACMAN AS TRUMP PUSHES SPACE PROBATION GOALS.
From left to right, CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Hammock Koch participate in a press conference, Wednesday, May 17, 2023, outside the Canadian Embassy in Washington. Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen, who will fly around the Moon on NASA’s Artemis II space probe, visited Washington to discuss their upcoming mission with members of Congress and others. (NASA/Keegan Barber)
The mission is scheduled to be launched from the Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39B by NASA’s Space Launch System rocket, which the agency describes as the most powerful it has ever built.
Standing nearly 322 feet tall, the rocket will send the Orion spacecraft and its crew into deep space for the first time, testing critical systems ahead of a future lunar mission.
NASA RETURNS HUMANS TO DEEP SPACE AFTER 50 YEARS WITH FEBRUARY ARTEMIS II MOON MISSION
Trump congratulates NASA’s Artemis II as astronauts prepare for the first deep space mission beyond Earth orbit since 1972, orbiting the moon. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images)
After the launch, the crew is expected to spend several days in space, including a multi-day trip around the far side of the moon before returning to Earth to attack the Pacific Ocean.
Artemis II is the successor to the defunct Artemis I spacecraft and is considered an important step toward future missions, including Artemis III, which aims to land astronauts on the lunar surface.
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NASA said the Artemis program is intended to support long-term lunar exploration and lay the groundwork for eventual human travel to Mars.
Fox News Digital’s Michael Sinkewicz contributed to this report.
