NASA‘s Artemis II rocket lifted off on Wednesday from Cape Canaveral, Florida, sending astronauts back into deep space for the first time in 53 years.

Crowds cheered as the rocket blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center at 6:35 p.m., sending astronauts to the moon for the first time since 1972, though the crew will not land there on this mission. The crew of four includes Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen. After launching nearly 9 million pounds of thrust off the Earth, the Orion capsule is traveling around the moon during the 10-day mission before returning.