US President Donald Trump began his prime-time national address from the White House on Wednesday by saluting Nasa’s successful launch of Artemis II, framing the mission as a bold American triumph in space.
“Let me begin by congratulating the team at Nasa, and our brave astronauts on the successful launch of Artemis II,” Trump told the nation. “It will be travelling further than any manned rocket has ever flown. They are on the way, and God bless them.”
The remarks came hours after the historic liftoff, giving Trump an early opportunity to highlight a signature achievement of his second term.
Artemis-II roared off Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 4:05 am IST on April 2 aboard the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the most powerful ever built for human flight.
Trump, who first established the Artemis program in 2019, has repeatedly tied US space leadership to national strength. The address in the early hours of Thursday, April 2, blended celebration of the mission with updates on other priorities, but the opening focus on Artemis II underscored the president’s message of American resurgence “beyond the stars.”
WHAT IS ARTEMIS-II?
The 10-day test mission carried four astronauts: Nasa commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
It is the first crewed flight beyond low-Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972.
After separating from the rocket, the Orion spacecraft named Integrity is now looping toward the Moon on a free-return trajectory. The crew is expected to reach a maximum distance of roughly over 400000 from Earth, which is the farther than any human being has ever travelled. The crew will then take a swing around the Moon’s far side and head home.
The flight is designed to rigorously test Orion’s life-support systems, heat shield, and navigation in deep space ahead of future landings.
As of now, the crew remains healthy following a brief, routine communications blackout shortly after launch and a reported issue with the toilet that is being fixed.
Mission controllers say Orion is performing as planned and remains on course for a safe splashdown off California.
