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CNN Live Event/Special
NASA Says Battery Issue Will Not Affect Today's Launch; NASA Gives Final Go for Artemis II Launch; Artemis II Launches on Historic Mission Around the Moon. Artemis II Launches On Historic Mission Around The Moon. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired April 01, 2026 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: For those just joining us, welcome to CNN's special coverage of this historic space mission. For the first time in more than 50 years, humans are heading back to the moon.
I'm Boris Sanchez coming to you live from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Behind me is the Orion spacecraft perched on top of NASA's SLS Rocket. In just minutes, four astronauts are hoping to embark on the most demanding flight of their lives, one that'll take them 4,600 miles beyond the far side of the moon, the furthest humans have ever gone into space.
Let's check back in with the anxious crowds here in Florida to watch the momentous launch. CNN's Randi Kaye is closest to the rocket itself in the heat zone. Randi, what's the mood there among spectators?
RANDI KAYE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. People are really excited, Boris. They actually just got a safety briefing because we are in the heat zone. So, they just were told what to do in case anything does go wrong.
But this is the hottest ticket in town. Take a look at this crowd here. They have been waiting out here in the sun and the clouds all afternoon. It's about $250 a person to join the crowd here in the heat zone for this Artemis Watch Party.
Now, they have been going with ebbs and flows all afternoon as well, as there are those little, tiny disappointments, those little, tiny glitches that you've been talking about.
[18:00:03]
You hear the oohs and the ahs, and then the cheers from the crowd as each little glitch gets fixed. So, we hope that this latest glitch gets fixed as well.
There are a lot of VIPs here. I talked a little bit to some of them. I want to take you out here so you can see the rocket how close we are to it in the heat zone. But I talked to some of these VIPs. One of them was Victor Glover's mother-in-law. He's the pilot. She told me that she is prayerful, hopeful and encouraged. She said when she saw him today at the walkout, he looked calm, confident and focused. I also talked to his best friend since the ninth grade. He is the godfather of his children. Victor Glover was the best man at his wedding. His name is Major Sellers. And he said that he has a mix of pride and fear. But both of those are cranked to 11, as he put it. But he said he knows Victor Glover and nothing will go wrong.
And I can tell you that in some of these press conferences, as we've been waiting for launch day, Victor Glover said, when they are strapped in, he says that it's both a terrifying and a terrific feeling. And people here feel the energy of that. They are filled with pride, filled with excitement, but also a little bit fearful, but they're not letting that get in the way of all the fun that they're having here at the watch party. Boris?
SANCHEZ: And in about 23 minutes, we are all going to feel the physical energy of this launch. It sounds like the issue that we've been concerned about is in the process of getting resolved.
Randi Kaye, thank you so much.
We have great news. We're learning from NASA that the battery issue is believed to be an instrumentation issue that will not apparently affect today's launch. So, it seems that all systems are go and we are going to witness history in less than 23 minutes.
Joining us now to remind us just how much science rules is everyone's favorite science guy, Bill Nye, also the chief ambassador for the Planetary Society. Bill, always great to be with you.
I have to ask you about the design on your bow tie because it carries special significance. You've talked about what it was like to watch the Apollo 11 missions on -- Apollo 11 mission, I should say, and the Apollo missions generally as a kid, and how it cut through chaos at a time when the nation was divided and it brought people together. I imagine you're hoping that today's mission will have a similar effect.
BILL NYE, THE SCIENCE GUY: Yes, absolutely. So, I was on my knees watching black and white television. The bow tie, Boris, has the footprint of -- replicas of the footprint of Neil Armstrong when he first walked on the moon. It's a famous, famous image. People around the world are very familiar with it, that boot print with the horizontal, or how to say lateral striations. And so not that these people are going to walk on the moon, but they're going to go farther and deeper into space than anyone ever any human ever has. It's really an extraordinary thing.
And this is a flight test, and it's only the second flight of this rocket. But everybody, because the technology is so mature, everybody's pretty confident it's going to work fine.
SANCHEZ: Yes, we are excited to watch it. You've described this as being the most exciting time in space exploration since the Apollo era. Help us understand why.
NYE: So, everybody, that is a great question. So, first of all, the cadence of launches, the number of launches happening every year, is higher than it's ever been, hundreds of launches every year, not just from the United States, not just from the commercial companies involved, but all over the world. Furthermore, the discoveries that are being made out in space on the surface of Mars, with the space- born telescopes where we're getting images, we're just learning about the motion of galaxies and planetary nebula on account of the influence of what we're currently calling dark matter, these discoveries are changing the world.
However you talk to anybody, and they know the phrase, big bang, they know the phrase, black hole, because astronomy and exploration of space is such a fabric, is such a -- so much a fabric, part of the fabric of our society. And this is where we invest our intellect and treasure to create, to build these rockets, hire these crews, train these crews, to -- and have the space launch complex where you are there in Florida to pull this thing off. I mean, it's really -- it's a big deal. As I say, we solve problems that have never been solved before and it brings out the best in us.
SANCHEZ: No doubt about that, to witness something that has taken literally years to put together and just enormous amounts of manpower and technical expertise.
[18:05:03]
What does it mean to you to see that the United States has taken this kind of effort to go to the moon and even further off the shelf and is reinvesting in these programs in part undeniably because of geopolitics and the speed at which China has progressed its space program, but also to what you spoke about, the effort to advance science and to inspire a younger generation?
NYE: Well, inspiring younger generation is going to happen. That's what I always say. If you're exploring space, that's going to happen. But we want to make discoveries. And I just recall, you know, I'm the head of the -- or ambassador now of the Planetary Society. And we faced a crisis, I don't know how far you got into this, where the NASA budget science budget was going to be cut in half. The overall budget was going to be cut by 20 percent, which is enormous. You couldn't be flying a rocket like this with those kind of cuts.
So, we pushed back, the Planetary Society, 42,000 people around the world, and literally millions of people in what we call our community, people who check out our website, planetary.org, and so on. But there are a couple mysteries associated with the moon that have -- let's call them science mysteries that we want to understand resolve. Why is there water ice on the moon? You would think -- if you think about it at all, you would expect water in the vacuum of space, whether it's ice or anything else, would -- and evaporate, there's no sound. It would just evaporate in space. No one's really sure why that is.
And there's the history of Earth stored or frozen in the surface of the moon. By studying the moon, that's when we really -- when the rocks were brought back in the late 60s, early 1970s, that's when geologists here on Earth revised our understanding of Earth's history. So there are discoveries to be made. And as Bruce Murray, who was one of the founders of the Planetary Society, used to say, people ask him, why are you flying these missions? What are you going to learn? We don't know what we're going to learn. That's why we're flying these missions.
SANCHEZ: Yes, it's an amazing journey of learning and exploration.
Bill Nye, thank you so much for sharing your perspective today. Thanks for being with us.
Let's bring back the panel now. Joining us remotely is retired Astronaut Garrett Reisman. He served as a senior adviser at SpaceX and an astronaut adviser at Vast. Thank you so much for being with us, sir.
As a former astronaut, what's your take on the stakes and significance of this mission?
GARRETT REISMAN, RETIRED NASA ASTRONAUT: My take I think it could be summarized in one word, which is FOMO. I wished our on that rocket. It's an amazing mission. We haven't sent anybody beyond low Earth orbit in over 50 years. So, this is really historic and getting us on a trajectory literally back to the moon with humans. I couldn't be more happy for this crew. And it's such an amazing crew.
It does change everything when you know the people that are strapped into that rocket, and I couldn't be happier for the four of them.
SANCHEZ: Yes, it gives a different texture to what this mission means for them personally. We're now just about 16 minutes away from the launch window opening, and we've got the rest of our panel with us. Garrett, please stand by, because Pete Muntean is going to tell us more about the actual astronauts, these four astronauts, three Americans, one Canadian, that are going to be headed where no one has ever been.
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: And now they can breathe a sigh of relief that we have this update from NASA that says that the NASA engineers investigated the sensor that was part of the launch abort system. That's the tower at the very top of the Orion capsule there. That is where there was an issue with the attitude control motor battery, meaning the motor and that group of rockets that's on the -- actually like the center point here of that tower there that controls the attitude, the position and space of this launch abort system that moves the astronauts out and away in case of abort close to the ground.
The temperature was higher than expected but it's now believed it was an instrumentation issue, like we speculated here, and now it seems that we are going to continue with the launch. The folks breathing the sigh of relief are these four here.
This was the walkout photo. As they made their way from the operations and control facility here at NASA Kennedy Space Center to the astro van for their 20-minute ride to Launchpad 39B. Reid Wiseman is the oldest, one among the oldest, and is the oldest who is on this flight today, 50 years old.
[18:10:02]
He's in the left side, seat really primary control duties.
And then there's Victor Glover to his left in that photo to the right immediately on your screen, seated next to the commander, also on the left side of the rocket responsible primarily for maneuvering.
Then there's Christina Koch, although it is spelled Koch, the pronunciation is Cook. She's on the right side closer to the hatch, critical spot there. She will be the first female to ever participate in any sort of lunar mission away from Earth rounding the backside of the moon.
And then Jeremy Hansen, who is the first Canadian to ever participate in a lunar mission, first non-NASA astronaut and the first Canadian to travel in a deep space, he's also seated on the right side of the capsule, primarily responsible for life support equipment.
It is a really tremendous weight that they have on their shoulders now as the clock ticks even further and further down. There was an uproar in the crowd here at the hour mark. Everyone has been stone silent, it seems like, ever since because I think we're all waiting with pins and needles on what has been a day where we have cleared hurdle after hurdle and things have gone remarkably well.
SANCHEZ: Extremely well.
MUNTEAN: It is really quite incredible that we are at this point. And some critics would say there's too much pressure on this mission to go today.
But the thing to consider is there is a good window. It seems that NASA's going to take it. The weather windows, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, not near as good.
SANCHEZ: We are about to enter the terminal clock, the terminal countdown, and Miles O'Brien is here to help us understand the significance of what is about to happen because this is now getting more and more real, Miles.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN AEROSPACE ANALYST: Well, let's -- I want to take a moment, Boris, to talk about the team that is making this all seem so smooth today. The group of people in that launch control center led by Charlie Blackwell Thompson, they have handled each of these glitches really well.
And much has been said about the fact that the space launch system doesn't have a high tempo. It's been three and a half years since some Artemis I. I think we're going to get a polling, they're starting to poll right now, I think. But I --
SANCHEZ: They are about to do a poll in the terminal.
O'BRIEN: We might have listened to that. But I will say this, I think the team is doing really well.
SANCHEZ: Help our viewers understand.
O'BRIEN: Yes. So, basically, what the launch director goes through the room. Each console is responsible for a little subsection of the data stream and the equipment on the rocket. They're looking at those screens, making sure those batteries conditioned correctly, making sure that flight termination system that we've been dealing with is working just fine, working on all the other systems and reporting back to the launch director, go or no go.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
O'BRIEN: And she makes a decision, actually pulls that room whether to recommend a launch today. And that's what we're about to get into right now.
SANCHEZ: So, essentially, she takes the wisdom in the room, everybody that's on top of their unique subset of this mission, and then ultimately makes the call. And as we get to now 11 minutes -- less than 11 minutes and 30 seconds, there's a lot riding on that decision.
CADY COLEMAN, RETIRED NASA ASTORNAUT: It's true. And we've -- you know, we've seen this team make a lot of really hard decisions. And actually I've seen a lot of photos and videos of their interaction with the crew. Where it -- I mean, they're one-on-one interaction talking about these things, you know, outside of the control room, outside of simulations and things. But, you know, in real life with the rollout, I mean, a lot of different decisions, they have a lot of experience making hard decisions and especially ones that they wish were going a different way.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
MUNTEAN: It does seem like they're going to pause the clock at ten minutes out, which was one of the aces that they have to play. I'm listening to NASA T.V. in my other ear. And it seems like they're going to pause the clock to do some more work. It's unclear to me what the work is but --
SANCHEZ: They're saying they have more work to do?
O'BRIEN: That was the NASA test director, Jeff Spaulding, reporting that there's still more work to do, but it was unclear what he was talking about, and that's why they're going to hold a little longer at ten.
But this is how these countdowns are built with these holds built in to do an opportunity for the team to regroup, to focus the mind, to reset deadlines so they know where they are and how much time they have to play with. And that's why these holds are important.
They go back to the days when they were doing rendezvous with the Gemini flights. They want to keep everything in sync. But it became a part of the habit here to have the holds as a point to stop and regroup. SANCHEZ: Let's go back to Garrett Reisman, who's watching alongside us. Garrett, your reaction to hearing that there's now been a hold put on the launch.
REISMAN: That's correct, Boris. And it's really not a big deal is, I guess, my summary. You know, we have plenty of time. It's about a two hour launch window. So, there's no need to rush if the launch control center and a launch director feel like there's anything that's not completely ready to go, they have the opportunity to take a pause, to take a time out and then resume once the team is ready to go.
[18:15:09]
So, this is standard, as Miles just said, this is kind of standard practice and is nothing really unusual at all.
SANCHEZ: Going back to a point that we were just making a moment ago about the crew on board, Garrett, you have some familiarity with them. Tell us about what it means to have these folks onboard this historic mission.
REISMAN: Well, it's a fantastic crew. They're all incredible individuals. And, collectively, as a crew, they're a very special crew, I would say. They just have -- they're incredibly tight-knit. They get along so well.
And of the four of them, the one I know best really is the Commander Reid. I was on the astronaut selection board that chose him, so I'll pat myself on the back and because he turned out great. He's an absolute natural leader and just a really fun-loving guy that is just great to hang out with. And his enthusiasm, his energy level and his sense of humor, I think, is pervasive throughout the crew and sets the tone. So, I think they're a special group of four people.
SANCHEZ: Yes, solid work with that selection.
Cady, I want to go back to you because you shared something with me a moment ago as we're anticipating whether or not we will see a launch today as this ten minute hold is now in place. You were on a mission that was set to launch. Everything was checked off. And it wound up getting aborted with about eight seconds before liftoff. What happened? What is that experience like?
COLEMAN: Well, at about 33 seconds out, that's when the computed (INAUDIBLE) automation takes over and the count is automatic. And that's when you kind of think, okay, we're really going, right? And then we had abort -- an abort for a hydrogen leak. And I was the person who would open the hatch if we had some kind of emergency exit. And I was, you know, getting my things undone, and all of a sudden you hear -- you hear for X number of parts per million with a tiny leak. So, I decided the people who -- the real people should open the hatch, right?
But it was a big deal in that the person who stopped the launch was a very courageous young man who was supposed to see two measurements of this value of a leak and in order to abort the launch. But he knew that if he waited, the engines would light. And they've actually now rewritten this criteria with the wisdom that actually he brought to the situation.
SANCHEZ: Just a moment ago, we were looking --
MUNNTEAN: Now they're going to go.
SANCHEZ: Yes. So, we just heard from our team that is monitoring these NASA communications at the recommendation from officials at NASA, the experts that are deciding whether or not we're going to see a launch or not, their recommendation is, go, Pete.
MUNTEAN: It sounded like there was some sort of loss of telemetry. There was a loss of lock with telemetry, which is so key to launching a rocket like this. You need to be able to get the telemetry down to the launch facility here at Kennedy Space Center in real time. So, the launch director and everybody at Mission Control can see exactly what's going on.
It sounds like listening in my other ear to the live feed from NASA, they're going down the line here and they're beginning a roll call of go or no go.
SANCHEZ: Let's listen in.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Clear board, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Okay, tracking the same here.
And, Launch Director, with that we are clear and ready to pick up the launch readiness poll with your go.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right, sir. I am go for the poll.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. And for all personnel, this is the NTD conducting the Artemis II launch readiness check. Verify ready to resume, count and go for launch. OTC?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OTC is go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: STC?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -STC is go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: TTC?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: TTC is go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: MCO?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: MCO is go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Safety console?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Safety console is go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: LPE?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: LPE is go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: RTD?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: RTD is go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Houston Flight?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Houston Flight is Go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rock (ph)?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rock is go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And CDR?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: CDR is go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Copy that. Thank you, Reid. And, Launch Director NTD, our launch team is ready to proceed at this time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right, NTD. I copy all. At this time I'll perform my poll.
Attention on the net, this is the launch director performing the final poll for launch. Verify no constraints and go for launch.
EGS program chief engineer?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Artemis chief engineers are go.
[18:20:00]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Copy, thank you.
EGS chief safety officer?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Artemis CSOs are go.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Copy, thank you.
Range weather?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Launch Weather is go.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, LWO.
And Artemis MMT chair?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: MMT is go.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, John.
And integrity launch director?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good to hear your voice, Charlie. PLT.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, Charlie. This is Victor. We are going for families.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: MS1?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is Christina. We are going for our teammate.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: MS2?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is Jeremy. We are going for all humanity.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, Charlie. Artemis II crew is go for launch, full send.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I copy that. Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy on this historic mission, you take with you the heart of this Artemis team, the daring spirit of the American people and our partners across the globe and the hopes and dreams of a new generation. Good luck, Godspeed, Artemis II. Let's go.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right, copy that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And entity launch director.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go ahead, launch director.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, sir. You have a go to proceed with countdown.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Copy that. I'll put it in work.
CDR entity?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) advisers and initiate short purge per your (INAUDIBLE) --
SANCHEZ: Godspeed, Artemis II. The launch is a go. And with those words, we just heard the entire team behind this, essentially give it a thumbs up. We heard some folks say, for humanity, it's a go, full send. People are really excited about this launch in that room, and it gives us renewed confidence that they've done their homework, they've checked off every box. Anytime there was even the appearance of an issue, it's been resolved.
And what is next is a countdown of ten minutes, and then launch, Cady.
MUNTEAN: Do people know what full send means?
SANCHEZ: I think people at home know what full send -- she knows what it means, right?
MUNTEAN: You got to send it. You got to go. Yes. COLEMAN: What it struck me was how both personal and professional this launch go poll was. And I've not heard that before. Have you --
O'BRIEN: I thought it was lovely.
COLEMAN: And important.
O'BRIEN: Let me just inject one point here. This is the first female launch director in NASA history. And I thought she put a different touch on the whole thing. And I thought it was a little more heartfelt and emotional, frankly, than some of the steely-eyed (ph) missile men we've watched over the years here.
And I also found it really nice to hear from all four crew members. You didn't hear from that all the crew of a shuttle. It was nice how everybody kind of represented. It was an emotional moment, I think.
COLEMAN: It was, was for me.
SANCHEZ: Yes. I'm pumped, Pete.
MUNTEAN: They are going to start the clock as soon as things are configured here. I'm pumped too. This is my first launch that I have ever covered in the image of my T.V. dad and mentor Miles O'Brien, I -- like take after it's a real hoot, and, you know, I've turned into a space geek by being here to watch the worldwide media to descend on the mound here to watch the line for merch here. You know, it is really quite something to behold. And we've not even seen a launch yet.
SANCHEZ: It's true. It's true.
O'BRIEN: You have done so well, Grasshopper.
MUNTEAN: Oh, I love you, Miles.
SANCHEZ: A full circle moment, look at that.
MUNTEAN: It's been a thrill to be here with you.
O'BRIEN: You did good.
MUNTEAN: We have only shared double boxes at CNN. We have never been on the set together. It's pretty simple.
SANCHEZ: Look at that. You get a launch and a heartfelt moment between mentor and mentee. I didn't know we were expecting that.
Garrett Reisman, you're watching. Tell us your thoughts as you're hearing the Artemis II team give this mission a thumbs up.
REISMAN: You know, I was getting flashbacks because when you're strapped into the rocket, getting ready of the blast off, you never really know if today is truly the day that you're going to go. You know, there's always -- in the shuttle era, it was about a 50-50 shot. And you've certainly seen today, you know, they've overcome an issue with the batteries, with the range. And so you never know right up to the last minute if today is really the day or if it's just a dress rehearsal.
But when you hear everybody go down the line and say, go, you suddenly get the feeling that today really is the day. And that gave me goosebumps all over today just hearing it just now, remembering what that felt like when I was sitting in there, ready to go. It's a very special moment.
SANCHEZ: And a surreal experience.
So, we're waiting for the terminal countdown to begin. Garrett, if you could, talk to us about what is going through the mind of an astronaut waiting for this terminal countdown to start sitting on top of this enormous, enormous vessel.
[18:25:06]
REISMAN: You know, I remember the thing going through my head after I heard all those gos was, oh, thank goodness, I don't have to redo the guest list, because one of the most complicated things about launching is, you know, it's like a wedding. You have to figure out where everybody's sitting. And then if you don't go, you got to figure out, okay, well who's coming back tomorrow? And, okay, we got to -- well, now we have some more spots open in this section and it gets really complicated. And I was just really happy I wasn't going to have to do that again. So, maybe they're thinking that.
I think more likely though, with this mission, they're thinking about just how they've been training for so long and been prepared so well for this now that they're thinking this is really going to happen and they just me really psyched up.
You also know, you know, analytically, this is not the safest way -- I'm sorry, go ahead.
SANCHEZ: Garrett, I just wanted to point out, the terminal countdown has begun and we are now nine minutes and 49 seconds away from a historic liftoff. As you were saying, Garrett, it's got to be one of the most breathtaking moments of anticipation for the folks that are sitting inside that Orion capsule right now. Is there anything that they're doing right now, or are they just kind of strapped in and getting ready for what will be the wildest ride of their lives?
REISMAN: They're strapped in, they're getting ready. They're probably, you know, reviewing the nominal ascent procedures watching all the events that occur that lead up to launch are occurring in sequence that is planned, and just monitoring the status of the ship, and just, you know, preparing themselves mentally really at this point.
SANCHEZ: Yes. And speaking about that mental preparation, Cady, if you could, we were speaking to Senator Mark Kelly and his brother, Scott, a moment ago, both retired astronauts. Scott shared that he tried to describe for Mark what it was like to lift off on a mission, and Mark essentially said that the description didn't do it justice. Can you try to describe the indescribable for us?
COLEMAN: Well, having flown in space with both of them, I understand the communication problem.
SANCHEZ: Well, please.
COLEMAN: It is because when -- I mean, when it really -- we had seven delays over 30 days for my first flight. So, I think I might be somebody people don't want to fly with, right? But when we really did a lift off, there were five of us that were rookies, two experienced people, and it was like nothing you could believe. I mean, just I think Mark said, you know, the railroad train going runaway train over the railroad tracks. Because when those solid rocket -- I mean as soon as those solid rocket boosters light, you are going. And it is -- I mean, it's just so clear, you are never going to stop until those engines stop.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
COLEMAN: Oh, it was amazing.
SANCHEZ: And we are now T-minus 7:55 and counting until that runaway train heads toward the far side of the moon, Pete Muntean. We're watching crowds that are gathered as that arm moves away from the SLS system and Artemis II. This is a moment of excitement. Look at that. That is, I believe, in Houston where Ed Lavandera is. There are crowds gathered across the country and different places, including here on hand.
MUNTEAN: And what a joyful moment of unity in a country that has been through so much in 2026 and really the last year. And I have seen everyone has kind of come out from their hole, their cubby hole, here at the -- at Kennedy Space Center and the media area. Folks, I'm looking at them, huddled around a phone. Listening to the live feed. I'm seeing our Jackie Wattles there, who's been in the backbone of our coverage here, and Gabe Ramirez, she's excited. She has been sequestered away, pumping out details on cnn.com the sea of hundreds here.
And that's not to mention the sea of probably thousands here in the area of the Cape parked with their cars on the side of the road.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
MUNTEAN: We are now looking live at the SLS Rocket. This is the most powerful rocket NASA has ever created. In just a few minutes, we are going to experience here the physiological sensation, the physical sensation of 8.8 million pounds of thrust as this ten-day voyage to the moon begins. This is not the biggest rocket ever but it is the most powerful.
SANCHEZ: Yes. Hey, Miles, talk to us about the access arm as it moves away. What are we watching? What is happening right now, not only inside the capsule itself, but also with the system, with the entire SLS system? O'BRIEN: Well, if you think about it right now with that crew access arm away and the closeout crew gone, it's a lonely place out there. There are actually some armored personnel carriers about a mile away from the launch pad, which are -- have people inside to get them if there was a serious problem.
[18:30:08]
But if something does happen on the pad, there's a whole scenario where that arm will swing quickly back into place and the crew has a procedure to get out of the -- blow the hatch quickly, get out and get onto what amounts to a glorified slide wire, which goes up to about 55 or 60 miles an hour down into an area where a bunker is.
Cady, I don't know. I think one astronaut did it once to prove it could be done.
COLEMAN: We do everything. We practice all of that, even climbing into the basket, except actually chopping the rot rope and getting -- I think Charlie Bolden got down --
O'BRIEN: Charlie Bolden was the one astronaut who did.
COLEMAN: It's dangerous for astronauts to do, but it's less dangerous than being on the rocket there.
I mean, I think there's also so many people around here, I mean, where there this launch has gathered, I mean, how many people are responsible for this rocket going to the moon? Hundreds of thousands.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
COLEMAN: And they're all watching this today.
O'BRIEN: And we're sort of lifted up by the team in a way, if you think about it.
COLEMAN: Yes, that's true.
O'BRIEN: Right.
SANCHEZ: We're now about four and a half minutes away from launch as the clock continues to wind down toward liftoff here at Kennedy Space Center.
Garrett, if you're still with us, talk to us about the intensity of what these astronauts are about to endure. You've heard Cady's description of liftoff. What was it like for you?
REISMAN: Yes, similarly. It's -- you know, it shakes a lot. It makes a lot of noise. And the thing is that -- the thing that's really unusual, the G-force, so you get pushed down into your seat. It feels like -- people say it feels like there's like an elephant sitting on your chest. I don't know if that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but you do feel those deep forces. And those are unusual because the noise, the vibration is kind of like flying a high performance jet, but the G-forces in a jet only last for a few seconds. In here they go on for minutes. They're going to be feeling that for eight minutes and six seconds, and that's very unusual. You don't sustain it like that.
And you realize that that G-force you're feeling is the acceleration, you speeding up to get into orbit. And you realize after you do the calculations in your head, after, you know, a few minutes of doing that and it's still going, you're going really fast. And it's -- you know, you go from 0 miles an hour to over 17,000 miles an hour in just about eight minutes, and that's -- there's no other ride like that.
SANCHEZ: Yes. We're now three minutes and 16 seconds away from liftoff.
MUNTEAN: We've entered into a very critical phase sequence where essentially the rocket is going to be completely under its own power. There won't be umbilicals attached here in a moment. They're not doing the continual refueling, called replenishment. That will end here in a moment. It seems that we are going to see a rocket launch today.
SANCHEZ: Cady, what's going through your mind right now?
COLEMAN: Excitement, you know, a little bit -- it's easier to be in the rocket than watching people in the rocket, especially people that you know and love. And it's a -- I can't wait to see them go, and yet it's hard to watch.
SANCHEZ: So, I was just -- so I've just heard from a producer that you see the CLS is go. What does that mean?
COLEMAN: Ground launch systems, I believe.
O'BRIEN: Yes. You see them -- do you see them moving the engines there, Boris?
SANCHEZ: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Talk to those are the RS-25 engines. There are four of them on here. And what they do right before they light it up they kind of run them through the limits of their movement, because, you know, that's how they steer.
SANCHEZ: A big stretch?
O'BRIEN: Yes. It's a stretch. It's a little stretch to get limbered up for the big flight, exactly.
SANCHEZ: What are the small flames that we're sort of seeing off the bottom there? We get to two minutes before liftoff.
O'BRIEN: Well, you know, there's a little bit of hydrogen leak no matter what you do when you have a rocket like this. And so they have sparklers there, essentially. That's kind of a -- probably not the technical term, but the idea is to -- COLEMAN: Yes, exactly, any residual of hydrogen gas.
O'BRIEN: To reduce the possibility of a buildup and an explosion.
SANCHEZ: So, less than two minutes left, a minute 40. What are the steps that are happening right now as we get to a minute 30?
COLEMAN: I think they're closing visors, visors down and locked.
SANCHEZ: Putting visors down their helmets?
MUNTEAN: They've switched to internal power now.
SANCHEZ: Miles, a minute 20 left.
MUNTEAN: Core power on its own -- the core stage is now on its own power.
SANCHEZ: And we're just about a minute away now, Miles, from liftoff.
O'BRIEN: We're getting to the point too where the computers are in charge within 30 seconds. Human beings can't make the decisions quickly enough. So, if anything stops or aborts at this point, it would be done by the onboard computer system of the SLS.
SANCHEZ: And we are watching the SLS system, the base of this massive, powerful rock.
O'BRIEN: So it's gone to the autonomous sequencer now.
[18:35:01]
The rocket is in charge now.
SANCHEZ: As we get to about 40 seconds, let's listen in to what will be a historic launch.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: GLS go for ELS (ph). 25, 20, 15, 10. GLS is go for core stage engine start.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Houston integrity, good roll pitch.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Roger, roll pitch.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Integrity AFT hot.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Integrity through max Q on (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have you loud and clear on (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have you the same.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The integrity, guidance converged, performance nominal, upper stage RCS ready.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Copy y'all, Stand. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Integrity S.M. priming complete.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: S.M. priming complete.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) launch board system jettison.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Houston Integrity, good last jettison, great view.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Copy jettison, T.B. (ph) go eight plus zero two.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We see the single board (ph), Stand
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And Houston has you loud and clear (INAUDIBLE) at the Karman line.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three minutes, 50 seconds into the flight of Artemis II. Wiseman, Glover (INAUDIBLE) in space with good conscience. GBS signals acquired after last jettison now working on internal checks to verify accuracy.
Flight dynamics officer analyzed the time of main engine cutoff confirmed in eight minutes, two seconds time of me go (ph).
[18:40:02]
SANCHEZ: We have just witnessed history and greatness firsthand. This enormous rocket being powered by ingenuity and tens of thousands of hours of expertise, of practice, of dedication, an amazing accomplishment for the Artemis II team to have this rocket launch into space. And it was such a powerful moment to witness in person.
We have to tell the viewers we lost communication right as this thing got into space.
MUNTEAN: It was a seismic event here. It felt like we're on risers. So, maybe it amplified the feeling. But I wish all of you watching and listening could feel what we felt and hear what we felt. It is like ripping the air in two. I mean, that was a true physical sensation unlike anything I've ever experienced. And we're so blessed to have such a beautiful day here in Florida where we had incredible visibility.
SANCHEZ: It was fantastic.
MUNTEAN: You see the rocket. I mean, it must have been 30 miles down ranch.
SANCHEZ: Cady, we're watching right now as important systems are detaching from the rest of the SLS that's going to head toward the moon. Walk us through what's actually happening right now. It's hard to get a vantage point because it's obviously in space, but give us an idea of what we're anticipating now six minutes into this launch.
COLEMAN: We're about six minutes, and so we're actually waiting on, really the big thing is managing cutoff.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
COLEMAN: And, I mean, we've already disposed of the launch abort system and it's about getting all the way to the orbit that they planned. But we're hearing different calls of you can go -- if you lose an engine, you can still get to orbit, you know, those kinds of calls. So, they're giving them their progress so far.
SANCHEZ: Fantastic.
MUNTEAN: Four good engines doing great. We're getting close. We've had --
COLEMAN: Expect nominal shutdown.
MUNTEAN: And we've had the abort systems jettison and now we're getting close to the core stage jettison. So, we're getting closer and closer seven minutes in. This rocket not really needing any of the other peripheral parts to get it out of Newton and the force of gravity and physics, now it is getting closer and closer to space. And, thankfully, all of the little glitches that popped up in the last few minutes of the countdown --
SANCHEZ: Turned out to be nothing at all.
MUNTEAN: -- turned out to be nil. It appears they have good telemetry.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
MUNTEAN: It appears they have all of the systems that they needed. The abort system worked okay. And there are no leaks. There are no hydrogen leaks --
SANCHEZ: Which had been a concern.
MUNTEAN: -- which were a concern for weeks, for a long time. So, this is going very well.
SANCHEZ: Yes. Miles, I did not expect my body to shake that way. This launch pad, for folks that are watching at home and don't have reference, it's miles away. And you could literally feel yourself shaking as this rocket is heading orbit.
O'BRIEN: Yes. It's an experience I wish more people could have --
SANCHEZ: Miles, actually, I'm sorry. Let's go ahead and listen in.
O'BRIEN: Yes, sure.
SANCHEZ: Some important comms happening right now. We'll get back to you in a sec.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
SANCHEZ: We're waiting for the main engine cutoff signal and so we're waiting to hear them confirm that it's been cut off. MUNTEAN: And, Cady, you would say, I think that managing cutoff is extremely key. I mean, it's the last major hurdle here.
COLEMAN: Main engine cutoff at just the right time means you've gotten to the place that you plan to be exactly with at the speed you plan to be. We're just about to hear it.
Whoa. So, that's -- that is separate. That is the core stage --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) core stage separated.
COLEMAN: Oh, that was beautiful.
SANCHEZ: Core stage separated, and what a view.
COLEMAN: So, in other words, they don't need that fuel because the engines are done, right?
SANCHEZ: Yes.
COLEMAN: And now it's -- they're just with the second stage.
SANCHEZ: Miles, I mean, it seems that the most difficult part of getting to the moon at least has gone outstandingly well.
O'BRIEN: Yes. This is on the -- this is at the top of the list of difficult things. There's more to come. There's a trans lunar injection, which is an important burn, which will get them a little further in an orbit that will get them to the moon. But what we saw there was just a perfect symphony of space. And I got to tell you, the percussion section is pretty strong.
And I will say, Pete Muntean, as your introduction as space correspondent, how are you going to top this one, pal?
[18:45:05]
MUNTEAN: I don't know.
O'BRIEN: I don't know.
MUNTEAN: That was pretty powerful and pretty cool. That's for sure. That was incredible.
O'BRIEN: But you know, not to get too schmaltzy or emotional, but I do in these moments. This is a great testament to what human beings can do together in a positive way. You know, we live in a world that's so fractured and so negative at times. You know, space gives us this opportunity to realize when we work together, we can do really great things if we want. And what we just witnessed was truly great.
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: I had to take a few deep breaths as I was watching that because --
MUNTEAN: Or not. I felt like I wasn't breathing.
MILES: I know.
MUNTEAN: It's extremely emotional to watch this thing. It gives you a sense of the sublime and what is possible, right?
I wonder -- how made you feel?
CADY COLEMAN, RETIRED NASA ASTRONAUT: When it -- when it really lifts off, there's this just visceral feeling of just knowing how many things have to go exactly right for those people to make it to space, which is then the safest place. And it's hard to watch.
SANCHEZ: It is. It's nerve-wracking.
COLEMAN: It's really hard to watch.
SANCHEZ: At the same time, it is exhilarating.
And Garrett Reisman has been standing by watching with us.
Garrett, I'm sure that brought back some pleasant memories.
GARRETT REISMAN, RETIRED NASA ASTRONAUT: Sure did. Really happy to see you. To hear the words nominal. Meco, nominal orbital insertion. That all means that everything went exactly according to plan.
This whole launch was actually incredibly smooth. The few problems that they were working were kind of run-of-the-mill typical issues that go into any launch count. And I think, you know, this was when, frankly, better than I expected the first time that they strapped people into the rocket and were prepared to launch, off they went.
It's a real testament to the hard work of thousands of people at NASA that made this all possible. And Reid is going to the freaking moon. I just I just think that's amazing
SANCHEZ: That is outstanding. You were telling us just a minute ago that you were part of the process that selected him as an astronaut.
For the folks on board Artemis II right now, as they've heard that everything has been a success. How do you imagine that they're processing that? What is going through their minds? Is it fully just a technical experience where they're focused on the next thing on the checklist? Do you even imagine that they're taking in what they've just experienced and the history that they're on the precipice of?
REISMAN: I'm sure a part of them is taking them. But as Miles pointed out, there's still a long way to go. Theres several burns coming up that are going to raise first perigee and then raise apogee. So, they're going to adjust the orbit. And those are all critical burns.
They're still on a suborbital trajectory right now. Actually. And then, you know, then they got to go do that translunar injection burn to really go off and head towards the moon. All those are critical. And then of course, coming back. And the thing that I think is going to be the, the most significant or most concerning thing to pay attention is when they come back and reenter the atmosphere. I think that's the part of this mission that we're all probably the
most focused on or concerned about from a risk perspective.
So, there's still a long way to go. But the fact that they got up there and everything went so well, that's -- that's got to make them feel pretty exhilarated.
SANCHEZ: Yeah. No doubt taking off and landing. Obviously, the hardest part of any flight. Right, Cady?
COLEMAN: I remember feeling -- I hadn't realized I wasn't, you know, that I was worried about it. But once I got up on the space station, just realizing, okay, ascent is done. I'm glad that part is done. And now I get to just get to be up here. I mean, the hardest parts really are, you know, launch and landing. And especially I think for the families.
SANCHEZ: Of course. Yeah. And so many of them watching on hand in person and absorbing the moment as we all did.
And Pete, I see you're holding your model. I'm sure you've got some expertise to share.
MUNTEAN: Man, it's like we've done this before.
COLEMAN: Maybe last night, too.
MUNTEAN: So yeah, maybe last night. Let's just review what we have seen. We watched obviously the entirety of the rocket and the SLS lift here at launch pad 39B, we saw a little ways into this.
The solid rocket booster separation, thank you. That was very good because I am not by manual at the moment because I have to hold a microphone. Then a few moments ago, we saw stage separation.
So, the core stage, which is the orange portion looks a lot like the center of a -- thank you. Looks a lot like the center of the space shuttle. The large tank there that separated from the upper stage. And so, the upper stage here is what's very critical now.
The actual Orion capsule is at the very top here. And later there will be a separation between the capsule and the ICPS, the interim cryogenic propulsion system. That's a mouthful.
COLEMAN: For now, we're going to call it the upper stage.
MUNTEAN: The upper stage.
COLEMAN: So, it still has the upper stage?
MUNTEAN: Yes. And it still has the upper stage. So this is all sort of one self-contained piece at the moment. Later this will become two parts. And the crew, this is where they do some of that pilot stuff.
They will fly the Orion capsule around the ICPS and a manual mode, essentially like a test flight, where they will test the maneuverability of the capsule itself, which is really key when it comes to landing on the moon. They need to have the control fidelity.
[18:50:00]
They need to be able to maneuver the capsule in space to be able to land it precisely in Artemis IV.
So, this is a really quite incredible test flight that we have seen, and. We are proving thing after thing check mark, check box after check box that this can happen. And this launch has gone remarkably well. This paves the way for lunar landings. Again, this paves the way for a presence on the moon and potentially going to Mars.
But this is the most critical test flight. You cannot underscore that superlative enough. This has gone so, so well so far. Of course, you don't want to jinx it.
SANCHEZ: Yeah, but really, there's still a lot that that has to go right?
MUNTEAN: Yes. And you know, I'm getting texts from so many of you. Thank you all for your messages. I -- and one of the messages I got was, can't ask for a launch to go any better than that.
SANCHEZ: Yeah, yeah.
COLEMAN: Absolutely.
SANCHEZ: Katie, as you were mentioning all the things that have to go well and the families that are supporting and standing by their loved ones as they take on this unbelievable mission, this historic mission. I wonder what you heard from family members when you were out there about what they endured.
COLEMAN: Well, just a few hours after launch, once we get up to the space station, we actually get to say hello to our families from in a space station since they were in Russia. And we got to, to say hi to him.
But we -- I got to speak to my family every day, except about three in my almost six-month mission. So, we can call them on an internet protocol phone so we can be in touch and we get video chats, I think like once a week. Maybe it's different now, maybe it's better. They get -- they get email that syncs all the time, I've heard that, right?
But it's still hard. It's hard to be. I mean, even just, you know, being away on a business trip, especially in a different time zone, you know, it's hard to really be there at just exactly the right times that your, your family needs you. And that's -- that's hard on them. It's hard on the crew member.
But there's -- there's also people on the ground supporting them. NASA is really, really trying to support the families and take care of them and understand how to get them through those times.
SANCHEZ: Yeah. MUNTEAN: Reid Wiseman, who has two daughters he's a single dad. And
earlier in one of the comments from NASA, tv said that there will be an on the ground astronaut, essentially an operational astronaut, but somebody who's not obviously in space with them as they go through sort of this experience together.
Their dad is now truly left this planet. And that has to be an isolating feeling. I feel a lot of empathy for them. But it really is incredible and they must be proud.
SANCHEZ: Yeah.
COLEMAN: I'm sure they are. And actually hearing my now adult -- my son was 10 when I went to space and actually being interviewed for a documentary said, you know, I realized my mom had left the planet. And I mean, I cry when I see that video.
SANCHEZ: There are no time zones, to your point about going on a business trip with a different time. There are no time zones where they're headed now.
Let's go to Titusville, Florida, with CNN's David Culver, who is standing by with a group of folks that were watching this launch.
They've been waiting for hours, David. I mean, it had to have been an impressive view. What are you seeing?
DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And emotional, Boris. Yeah. We're eight miles from where you are. So, it sounded like thunder from a distance. But the view in of itself, I mean, when we saw it from here, you had folks who were just locked in and trying to just process what they were seeing. I think what you're seeing now behind me is it's clearing out rather quickly.
And let me point up here, actually, we'll spin the camera around and you can see there's massive crowds that have just taken over the middle of this bridge. They had to shut it down. And what was incredible, Boris, is you had no communication signal was down for folks who were trying to watch on the live stream. So, they had no idea when it was going to happen. And they were just trying to lock in and focus as much as they could towards the launch pad, towards where you are. And then when it took off, you just saw all sorts of emotions, everything from just big smiles, cheers, intermittently, and you even saw down there, you can see they've -- they've closed off the road, but you've got first responders who in that moment had their phones out, were hugging, had their arms around each other. And you could just see the unity in this space.
And now you've got what is -- I mean, just imagine the clearing of a massive concert or event and folks carrying their beach chairs and coolers, and they're all returning back to their cars, their RVs, and they're continuing on. You had people here who were prepared to stay several days, should it not have launched today. But now you can see they're just so grateful that this was what took place, what they were able to see from this distance, even without understanding what's happening. No social media connection, nothing. They were just taking it in in
the moment, being fully present. And I think that's what really stands out.
SANCHEZ: Yeah, a spectacular thing to witness in person.
David Culver, thank you so much from Titusville.
Coming up, we have more reaction to Artemis IIs liftoff, a historic mission sending humans toward the moon for the first time in more than a half century. Our next guest called his journey to space the most profound experience.
[18:55:00]
Actor and star trek legend William Shatner will join us in just moments.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: We're back with special live coverage of the most ambitious mission that NASA has launched in more than half a century. Artemis II now headed on its journey toward the moon and beyond.
This is the moment, just moments ago, that it successfully launched from Florida's Kennedy Space Center.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Ten, nine, eight, seven, RS-25 engines linked, four, three, two, one -- booster ignition and liftoff.
The crew of Artemis II, now bound for the moon. Humanity's next great voyage begins.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good roll pitch.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Roger. Roll pitch.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Houston now controlling the flight of integrity on the Artemis II mission around the moon.
