United States President Donald Trump took to social media to enthusiastically celebrate the impending launch of Artemis II — the country’s first deep-space mission in over 50 years.
The Orion spacecraft will take off from the Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Fla., on Wednesday evening. The mission is expected to last 10 days and includes four astronauts, three of whom are NASA astronauts. Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen will join Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch.
In a lengthy Truth Social post, Trump expressed his excitement and pride in both the mission and the country.
“We are WINNING, in Space, on Earth, and everywhere in between — Economically, Militarily, and now, BEYOND THE STARS,” Trump wrote. “Nobody comes close!
“Tonight at 6:24 P.M. EST, for the first time in over 50 YEARS, America is going back to the Moon! Artemis II, among the most powerful rockets ever built, is launching our Brave Astronauts farther into Deep Space than any human has EVER gone. We are WINNING, in Space, on Earth,… pic.twitter.com/UQ9Od98zdm
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 1, 2026
“America doesn’t just compete, we DOMINATE, and the whole World is watching,” he continued. “God bless our incredible Astronauts, God bless NASA, and God bless the Greatest Nation ever to exist, the United States of America!”
What to know about the Artemis II launch and crew
The Artemis II marks the first crewed mission beyond low-earth orbit since Apollo 17 in December 1972. That was also the last time the U.S. landed on the moon.
Wiseman, 50, is the commander and will become the oldest person to leave low-Earth orbit. He isn’t the only crew member who will make history, though. As a native Canadian, Hansen is slated to become the first non-U.S. citizen to be within the vicinity of the moon.
“Nothing but gratitude for the men and women of this great nation,” Wiseman wrote on X on Wednesday night. “It is time to fly.”
Glover, the pilot, is Black and would become the first person to circle the moon. Koch will achieve a similar feat as the first woman to do so.
IT’S GO TIME: Astronaut Victor Glover points to the camera ahead of the Artemis II launch. pic.twitter.com/ejTSmEWacH
— Fox News (@FoxNews) April 1, 2026
Glover, who turns 50 later this month, was previously the first Black astronaut to complete an extended mission on the International Space Station.
“Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy are taking their seats atop the most powerful manned rocket ever built,” NASA Administrator Jared Issacman wrote on X. “They have trained for years for this moment, and now they are preparing to execute a mission that will take us back around the Moon and begin the next chapter of human space exploration.”
NASA projects that the astronauts will travel roughly 685,000 miles on a trajectory around the Moon and back to Earth.
“America doesn’t just launch astronauts into space — we build the rockets that take them there,” senior White House counselor Peter Navarro said on X. “That’s been true from the very beginning. American manufacturing made the Moon landing possible over 50 years ago — and it’s just as central for Artemis II today.”
