Celebratory social posts launched after liftoff of Artemis mission

When NASA launched the Artemis I mission early Wednesday morning, it was something people had waited weeks, months, years, and even decades to see happen. The flight is unmanned, but it marks a milestone in the work being done to return humans to the moon for the first time since the Apollo missions.

NASA’s history office noted the span of time that had passed between Apollo and Artemis on twitter shortly after the 12:47 a.m. CDT launch.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson tweeted: Liftoff!! @NASA_Artemis is on its way to the Moon! Congratulations to the amazing team that has gotten us to this moment. GO ARTEMIS!

Johnson Space Center Director Vanessa Wyche also congratulated all the teams that made the launch a success.

Those who’ve been to space and those who are space enthusiasts shared the excitement.

Jared Truettner posted video from his perspective of the launch and tweeted: @JarednSpace Saw it with my own eyes… wow! #Artemis

Sean Cannon tweeted: @planetdeimos A decade of hard work, persistence, and grit has led to this moment. Artemis I, is now headed to the moon! #Artemis #WeAreGoing

And Planetary Society posted: @exploreplanets Congratulations @NASA on the launch of #Artemis 1! This is a big deal! This is one small step to the next giant leap back to the Moon. Welcome to the most exciting decade of human space exploration since Apollo.