Artemis II marks America's return to deep space as China aggressively pursues its own long-term lunar presence, raising the stakes for U.S. space leadership.
Why is the Artemis 2 rocket launch different from all other rocket launches? Space'Spectacular!': BBC science editor reacts to Artemis II launch bbc.comNASA launches first crewed lunar mission in half a century Reuters2026 April 2 - Liftoff! Returning to the Moon NASA (.gov)