NASA launches four astronauts on its first lunar mission Wednesday evening since the end of its Apollo missions in 1972. 

The astronauts are part of NASA's Artemis II mission, which marks the first time in more than 50 years that NASA astronauts have left Earth’s orbit to embark on the roughly 685,000-mile journey aboard the Orion capsule and slingshot back for the return home. 

The 10-day journey is a test for the Orion spacecraft’s life support systems and is important for the crew to practice operations that will be required for the subsequent Artemis missions aimed at planting boots on the lunar surface by 2028, according to NASA’s timeline. 

The spacecraft was expected to launch from Florida's Kennedy Space Center at 6:24 p.m. Eastern, but there has been a slight delay, with the countdown expected to resume shortly. A livestream of the launch can be viewed here.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.