UNITED STATES — Four astronauts blasted off aboard a massive NASA rocket Wednesday on a long-anticipated journey around the Moon, the first crewed lunar flyby in more than 50 years. With an intense roar that reverberated far beyond the launchpad the enormous orange-and-white rocket carried three Americans and one Canadian away from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center at approximately 6:35 pm local time.

Artemis 2 rocket on the launchpad and the first launch window on April 1, the countdown to lift-off could start in just two days' time

Astronauts will once again try to blast off to the Moon after earlier problems. NASA’s Artemis II rocket has began its second journey to the launch pad on Friday, March 20, ahead of the first crewed mission to fly around the Moon.