- Passengers on a flight captured a rare mid-air view of NASA's Artemis II launch over Florida
- The video shows the rocket lifting off with four astronauts on a historic mission around the Moon
- Social media users praised the unexpected view as an incredible and unique travel experience
Passengers on a commercial flight caught a rare mid-air view of NASA's Artemis II launch, turning their routine journey into an unforgettable experience. The moment, captured from above Florida, is now going viral on social media.
A video, shot by a passenger, shows the exact moment the Artemis II rocket lifted off and carried four astronauts on a historic journey around the Moon.
Captured from a window seat on the flight, the footage shows the rocket as it climbs upward and leaves a bright trail behind, passing through the clouds. From this view, the launch appears even larger and more powerful than what is usually seen from the ground.
As the rocket shoots upwards, a woman in the background reacts in real time: “Oh my God!”
The video gained attention on social media with users reacting to the unexpected view.
One person wrote, “They booked a regular flight and somehow got front row seats to a rocket blasting off for the moon. Best accidental upgrade in aviation history. Very cool!!”
Another commented, “This would be the coolest flight ever,” while a third added, “The perspective from the airliner is unreal. NASA and the Artemis II crew just made history!”
“Insane perspective catching Artemis II from a plane window like this is next-level!” another remark read.
Artemis II launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and marks the first crewed mission towards the Moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. The mission uses NASA's Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft.
The crew includes Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen. Over about 10 days, they will travel around the Moon and return to Earth without landing.
This is the first crewed flight under NASA's Artemis programme where astronauts will carry out several checks to make sure the spacecraft is working properly and is safe as it has never flown with humans before. They will also test manual control of the spacecraft during docking simulations which will help prepare for future missions.
The mission also marks important milestones, including the first woman and the first person of colour traveling into cislunar space (the region between Earth and the Moon).
