NASA's Artemis II mission is well on its way, with a crewed aircraft heading to the Moon for the first time in 50 years.While they won't be stepping off onto the Moon's surface this time, the fly by is sending them deeper into space than any human has gone before, and is considered preparation for Artemis III, taking place in 2027 if this mission goes well.The 322-foot rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida at 6.36pm local time (11.36pm BST) on 1 April, with millions tuning in to watch.Four astronauts - Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen - will spend the next 10 days on board the Orion space craft. Ready to relive the historic moment? Here's a look back at the Artemis launch in pictures... GettySpace fans camped out to get a prime view of the launch GettyThe astronauts, of course, arrived in a branded truck GettyThe four astronauts appeared upbeat as they prepared to step on board GettyIt was cameras out for the moment, which happened at 6.36pm local time (11.36pm BST) Getty GettyThe rocket, which will travel 238,855 miles between the Earth and the Moon Getty More than 700,000 gallons (2.6 million litres) of fuel was loaded into the spacecraft before launch Getty After liftoff, the rocket was visible from planes GettyThe crew will spend the coming hours orbiting the Earth to carry out essential safety checks, before continuing their mission towards the Moon.Why not read...Artemis II astronauts 'deserved better' as camera work compared to 1960s qualityArtemis II in numbers: The key figures behind NASA moon mission from distance, to living spaceSign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter