“Artemis II is the start of something bigger than any one mission. It marks our return to the Moon, not just to visit, but to eventually stay on our Moon Base, and lays the foundation for the next giant leaps ahead.” Source: NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, commenting as NASA is officially making moves to put astronauts back on the Moon, launching a crew on the first lunar flyby mission since Apollo 17 in 1972. Artemis II lifted off at 6:35 pm on April 1 from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39B to begin the 10-day mission.