Giant leap for mankind: America's space edge is at stake as Artemis II heads to the moon

For the first time in more than half a century, America is sending astronauts beyond low Earth orbit — taking humans farther from Earth than ever before.

Artemis II will send four astronauts on a 10-day journey around the moon from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Along the way, they will test every critical system aboard the spacecraft, from navigation to life support, laying the groundwork for a return to the lunar surface and, ultimately, missions to Mars.

But Artemis II is about more than a single mission.