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Artemis II lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center – in pictures

The Guardian · 🇬🇧 public United Kingdom · · 112 words · By Briana Ellis-Gibbs
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What to know about Artemis II lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center – in pictures

Artemis II lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center – in pictures Nasa’s moon rocket Artemis II launched on Wednesday evening (US time), carrying astronauts to the moon for the first time in almost 54 years.

Claims checked 3
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left14%
Center72%
Right14%

7 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Artemis II lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center – in pictures Nasa’s moon rocket Artemis II launched on Wednesday evening (US time), carrying astronauts to the moon for the first time in almost 54 years.

Why it matters

The launch marks the first time since the Apollo 17 mission of December 1972 that humans will have left lower Earth orbit.

Common ground

The rocket is orbiting Earth and will continue to do so until Thursday, when the translunar injection burn will take place and send it on the rest of its 386,242km journey to orbit the moon Thu 2 Apr 2026 03.51 BST Last modified on Fri 3 Apr 2026 08.50…

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.theguardian.com/science/gallery/2026/apr/02/nasa-rocket-launch-artem…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 3 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 2
check_circle Corroborated 1
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Claim 1: “The rocket is orbiting Earth and will continue to do so until Thursday, when the translunar injection burn will take place and send it on the rest of its 386,242km journey to orbit the moon”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim provides highly specific technical details regarding the current orbital status, the exact date of the burn ('Thursday'), and the precise distance ('386,242km'). While the evidence confirms the mission is heading to the moon and involves deep space travel, none of the provided web search or Wikipedia results contain the specific, sequential orbital mechanics data (current orbit $ ightarrow$ Thursday burn $ ightarrow$ 386,242km journey) as stated in the claim. The evidence is general regarding the mission's trajectory, not this specific timeline.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) is a partially reusable crewed spacecraft used by NASA for the Artemis lunar exploration program. It consists of a crew module (CM), a space capsule built b…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_(spacecraft)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — ATENEA was a 12U CubeSat developed by the National University of La Plata and Argentina's National Space Activities Commission (CONAE) as a secondary payload on NASA's Artemis II mission. The main obj…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATENEA_(satellite)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Artemis program is a Moon exploration program led by the United States' National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), aimed at returning humans to the Moon for the first time since Apollo …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_program
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 2: “Nasa’s moon rocket Artemis II launched on Wednesday evening (US time), carrying astronauts to the moon for the first time in almost 54 years.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim specifies the launch occurred on 'Wednesday evening (US time)' and implies a specific year/date context that is not consistently confirmed across all evidence. While multiple sources confirm Artemis II is a crewed lunar flyby mission and mentions 2026 dates, the specific timing ('Wednesday evening') and the implication of the first launch in 54 years are mixed with other details. The evidence strongly supports the *event* (Artemis II, 2026, lunar flyby) but the precise timing detail is not corroborated by multiple independent sources.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Apollo 13 (April 11–17, 1970) was the seventh crewed mission in the Apollo space program and would have been the third Moon landing. The craft was launched from Kennedy Space Center on April 11, 1970,…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_13
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Centaur is a family of rocket-propelled upper stages that has been in use since 1962. It is currently produced by United Launch Alliance (ULA) in two main versions. The 3.05 m (10 ft) diameter Cen…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centaur_(rocket_stage)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The following is a timeline of the second presidency of Donald Trump during the second quarter of 2026, from April 1, 2026, to June 30, 2026. To navigate between quarters, see timeline of the Donald T…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_second_Trump_p…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 3: “The launch marks the first time since the Apollo 17 mission of December 1972 that humans will have left lower Earth orbit.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources explicitly state that Artemis II is the first crewed flight beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972. This fact is reported by both web search results and Wikipedia entries.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Artemis II was a crewed lunar flyby mission on April 1–11, 2026. It was the first crewed flight of the NASA-led Artemis program and the first crewed flight beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 19…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_II
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Artemis III is an upcoming lunar mission, planned to be the second crewed mission in NASA's Artemis exploration program, with a targeted launch in mid-2027. The crew will launch aboard the Space Launc…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_III
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — As part of the Artemis program by NASA, crews of four astronauts are planned to fly lunar missions beginning in 2026. The Artemis II flyby of the Moon included the first four astronauts to fly beyond …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Artemis_astronauts
+ 3 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.