DENVER ~ Denver, CO - Governor Jared Polis and Lieutenant Governor Dianne Primavera joined in the celebration of NASA's successful launch of the Artemis II mission today. This marks the first crewed deep-space and lunar mission since Apollo 17 in 1972, and highlights Colorado's significant role in America's return to the Moon. The mission, which took off from Kennedy Space Center at 4:35 PM MST, saw participation from over 250 Colorado companies as part of the Artemis program.

Governor Polis expressed his pride in Colorado's aerospace industry, stating that "Colorado's aerospace companies are some of the industry-leading innovators that are helping us get back to the moon." He also reflected on the generations before us who have contributed to this momentous achievement through their innovation and imagination.

Lieutenant Governor Primavera shared her personal connection to this mission, having been inspired by the Apollo generation as a twelve-year-old. She believes that this launch has the potential to ignite a new generation's sense of wonder and showcases the incredible innovation happening in Colorado and across the country.

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The Artemis II crew includes NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. This diverse team makes history as Victor Glover becomes the first person of color, Christina Koch becomes the first woman, and Jeremy Hansen becomes the first non-U.S. citizen to leave Earth orbit on a lunar mission.

Eve Lieberman, Executive Director of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT), highlighted Colorado's crucial role in space exploration and commercialization. She stated that "Coloradans are building everything essential to space exploration and commercialization," including ground stations, rockets, spacecrafts, lunar landers, AI technology, and quantum technologies.

Colorado boasts a thriving aerospace economy with over 2,000 businesses employing more than 56,000 people directly and another 184,000 indirectly. The state also brought in a record-breaking $46 billion in federal funding for aerospace and defense, including over $31 billion in federal contracts and $12.5 billion from military bases. Additionally, Colorado's federal labs received $3.4 billion in funding.

The Artemis II mission is expected to last approximately 10 days from launch to splashdown and will pave the way for Artemis III's planned lunar landing. With its strong presence in the aerospace industry and continuous innovation, Colorado remains a national and global leader in this field.

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