NASA's Orion spacecraft, built by Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), launched on April 1 at 6:35 p.m. ET from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, carrying four astronauts on the Artemis II mission. This marks the first crewed lunar mission in 53 years.

The spacecraft, named Integrity by its crew, carries NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. The mission will complete two Earth orbits before traveling nearly 5,000 miles beyond the moon's far side and approximately 250,000 miles from Earth.

The 10-day mission includes system checkouts and a proximity maneuvering demonstration to verify the spacecraft's readiness for deep space operations. The crew will travel on a free-return trajectory around the moon, conducting observations and imaging of the lunar surface's far side.

The Artemis II Orion includes several new systems for deep space human safety, including environmental control and life support systems, updated displays and controls, audio communications with an experimental laser communication system, a Launch Abort System, exercise equipment, potable water, galley facilities, and a waste management system.

The mission is scheduled to conclude on April 10 when Orion re-enters Earth's atmosphere at 30 times the speed of sound before slowing to under 20 mph for splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego, California.

"Today's launch is just the beginning of this mission, where we look forward to testing the Orion systems and proving it will be capable of transporting crews to the lunar surface and return them home," said Robert Lightfoot, president of Lockheed Martin Space.