Artemis 2 launch watch party held in Wrightsville Beach

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, NC (WWAY) — Around a dozen people gathered along the coast in Wrightsville Beach for a watch party of the Artemis II launch. 

They set up telescopes and binoculars along the shoreline, hoping to catch a glimpse of the rocket as it lifted off. Many also watched on their phones once the countdown to launch began.

The watch party was organized by Brian Davis, a physics professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, with 10 of his students attending the event.

Davis said the mission represents a renewed commitment to space exploration and a significant milestone.

“I just hope people enjoy the endeavor and remember what John Kennedy said, that we aren’t doing this because it’s easy,” Davis said. “We’re doing it because it’s hard. It’s a challenge and we accept that challenge. It’s a good challenge — going to the moon.”

Despite clear skies, the launch itself was not visible from the beach, leaving some attendees disappointed. Still, Davis said the group remained excited to witness the historic moment, even from afar.

Among those aboard Artemis II is Christina Koch, a graduate of North Carolina State University. Koch is set to become the first woman to travel beyond low-Earth orbit.

The nearly 10-day mission will carry astronauts around the moon and back to Earth, setting a new distance record for a crewed spaceflight, around 252,000 miles.

“How do we feel as the people that can call the moon the destination — a destination, not just something we’re looking at?” Koch said in remarks ahead of the mission. “It is our strong hope that this mission is the start of an era where every person on Earth can look at the moon and think of it as also a destination.”

Koch already holds the record for the longest continuous time spent in space by a woman, at 328 days.

Artemis II is a test flight ahead of a planned crewed moon landing mission targeted for 2028.