NASA launched its Artemis II mission on Wednesday, the first crewed lunar flyby in more than 50 years

Commander Reid Wiseman, a 50-year-old Navy captain and former test pilot, calmly radioed updates from the cockpit of the Orion spacecraft at the tip of the SLS rocket. He was joined in the cockpit by pilot Victor Glover (another Navy captain), mission specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen.

Four astronauts set off aboard a NASA spacecraft this morning on a journey that will take them farther from Earth than any human has travelled since the Apollo program more than five decades ago.

Follow along live as NASA sends astronauts into the moon's orbit with the launch of its key Artemis II mission on April 1.

Why it matters: Artemis II is a critical test mission to shake down spacecraft systems, enabling a permanent human presence on the Moon and preparing for future missions to Mars. Free-return trajectory – a path that loops around the Moon and returns to Earth without propulsion

NASA begun fueling its moon rocket Wednesday for humanity’s first lunar trip in more than half a century, aiming for an evening liftoff with four astronauts. Tensions were high as hydrogen fuel started flowing into the rocket hours ahead of the planned launch.