NASA launches 4 astronauts on historic moon mission on Artemis II spaceship, and the Black pilot will become the first Black man to fly around the moon...Ohio congresswoman Emilia Sykes comments on the launch...By Clevelandurbannews.com, Ohio's Black digital newsleader
By Kathy Wray Coleman, editor, associate publisher
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida-The NASA Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida successfully launched its Artemis II rocketship at 6:30 pm on April 1, 2026, as the world watched in amusement, its first human mission of the sort in nearly 50 years, and since the Apollo launch on June 16, 1969, which landed Neil Armstrong as the first man on the moon.
Wednesday's launch continues the competition between the United States and Russia, and puts the world on notice that the U.S. intends to stay in the space game.
Launched by the Soviet Union on Oct. 4, 1957, Sputnik 1 was the world's first artificial satellite, marking the start of the space age and the U.S.-U.S.S.R. Space Race.
The Artemis II spaceship took off for space with four astronauts aboard, three Americans and one Canadian. They are Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover Jr., and Mission Specialists Christina Koch (NASA) and Jeremy Hansen (Canadian Space Agency). They will conduct a 10-day, first-crewed flight around the moon.
Notably, Glover, as the pilot, will become the first Black man to fly around the moon.
"Artemis II is an exciting step forward and a reminder that America's leadership in space is built on decades of innovation, including the extraordinary contributions of Ohioans," said Ohio Congresswoman Emilia Sykes, an Akron Democrat and one of three Black women in Congress from Ohio. "From Neil Armstrong, John Glenn, Jim Lovell, and Judith Resnik, to the work happening today at the NASA Glenn Research Center, Ohio has always helped lead the way."
Rep.Sykes is a member of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and a ranking member of the Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight.
"While in Congress," the congresswoman said, "I'm focused on supporting that legacy, strengthening the workforce, investing in new technologies, and making sure missions like Artemis II deliver for the American people."
Rep. Sykes is the only Ohioan serving on the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, which oversees the nation's civilian space program and helps shape the future of NASA.
Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com are the most-read Black digital newspaper and blog in Ohio and the Midwest. Tel. 216-659-0473. Email-editor@clevelandurbannews.com.
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