Orion's solar arrays are now fully deployed, powering the spacecraft as it continues its journey toward the moon.

In about an hour, the crew will be in high Earth orbit, and will remain there for about 24 hours to conduct systems checks.

-ABC News' Briana Alvarado

Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, said Artemis II will establish the foundation for future missions.

"The world will be watching in awe as the Artemis II crew pushes the limits of what humanity can do by traveling around the moon," Cantwell said in a statement. "This trip lays the groundwork for returning to the moon's surface and staying there."

The four-person Artemis II crew has reached its initial orbit, one of the first steps as the astronauts head to the moon.

The team will spend about 90 minutes in initial orbit before the second stage fires its engines twice to send Orion to a high Earth elliptical.

The Artemis II crew lifted off at 6:35 p.m. ET from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

After years of preparation from various parts of the agency, NASA has officially launched its historic Artemis II mission.

The crew of four, including commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover Jr., and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, is now climbing toward orbit.

About eight minutes after launch, the rocket's core stage engines will shut down and separate from the upper stage, and the spacecraft and the crew will be in space.

According to NASA, they'll be traveling about 4,000 miles farther than the Apollo 13 mission.

Newly released photos from NASA capture the joy of the Artemis II crew after they looped around the far side of the moon

In one photo, entitled "Moon Joy," Christina Koch, Jeremy Hansen, Reid Wiseman and Victor Glover take time for a group hug inside the Orion spacecraft on April 7 as they head home.

Also seen in the photos is the plushie, "Rise," designed by a second grader who won a contest for his toy to travel with the astronauts.

At just under 200,000 miles from Earth, the Artemis II crew is closing in on the final destination of its cosmic ride.

-ABC News' Briana Alvarado