NASA’s Artemis II mission successfully launched from Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 1. With a crew of four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft, the historic 10-day mission around the moon is the first manned lunar flight since 1972. What’s even more surprising is that the launch of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket at 6:35 p.m. EDT was captured by a flight camera.
A user on X shared a video clip of a rocket on X that went viral. The spacecraft can be seen leaving a footprint in the sky as it embarks on its first manned lunar mission in 53 years. The caption for the post reads: “People trapped in plane tens of thousands of feet in the air Passing by Artemis II Wild shots! 🚀”
Reaction on social networks
One user wrote: “Man being up in that plane when it has time to fly would be amazing!”
Another user commented: “That’s the Artemis II SLS rocket and Orion launching on its way to the moon, the first manned test flight since Apollo. The curved white trail is the exhaust plume seen from the plane’s angle as the rocket arcs into its trajectory, not in the flat Earth sky. Crazy timing for those passengers.”
A third comment read: “That’s a beautiful sight, I wish I could see it with my own eyes from aboard this plane.”
A fourth user responded: “That would be WILD to see in person…….especially to see it come up and then just brush it off and keep climbing!!!!”
A fifth user stated: “People with direct flights to Florida observe people with a direct flight to the moon … from Florida.’
- Reid Wiseman (Commander)
- Victor Glover (Pilot)
- Christina Koch (Mission Specialist)
- Jeremy Hansen (Mission Specialist, CSA)
During the lunar flyby, the crew will capture live images of the Moon, observe features never before seen by humans, and witness a partial solar eclipse from their unique vantage point.
This mission represents a major step in NASA’s efforts to advance human exploration beyond low Earth orbit and back into deep space. The goal of this mission is to test spacecraft systems and hardware for future lunar exploration. It is a step towards scientific discovery and preparation for manned missions to Mars. The mission is notable because Christina Koch became the first woman, person of color, and non-American citizen to travel beyond Earth orbit.
