The Artemis II crew has blasted off for the moon on a historic rocket launch at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen are now riding high in the Orion spacecraft as the first humans to head back to the moon in more than 50 years.

The rocket lifted off at 6:35 p.m. EDT on April 1 — one of the final launch windows available to meet NASA’s April 30 mission deadline.

Artemis II has been fraught with delays in recent months, but on April Fool's Day, NASA's gigantic Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion capsule took off without any significant issues. Hundreds of thousands of people flocked to Florida's Space Coast to watch the launch in person, while millions more tuned in around the world to watch NASA's live broadcast.

The Artemis II crew is now embarking on a 10-day spaceflight, which will take them around the far side of the moon, travelling farther and faster than any humans in history, before they return home to Earth.

The record-breaking mission is set to establish a number of historic firsts. NASA's Koch is on her way to becoming the first woman in history to go beyond low Earth orbit and the first woman to visit the lunar environment, while NASA's Glover is on his way to becoming the first Black astronaut to venture beyond low Earth orbit and visit the lunar environment.