NASA's Artemis II mission has passed every major test since its launch on 1 April, with its rocket, spacecraft, and crew performing better than engineers had dared to hope for. The mission's first six days have shown that the Orion capsule works as designed with people on board for the first time - something no simulator could prove. Perhaps its greatest achievement, though, is through the actions of the Artemis crew, which have generated hope, agency, and optimism for a world appearing to be in desperate need of inspiration. But the bigger question remains - is a Moon landing by 2028, as NASA and President Trump want, now really an achievable goal? A few days after NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) reached the launch pad at Kennedy Space Centre, the most important lesson about Artemis II had already been learned. The previous uncrewed Artemis I mission took off in November 2022. After two scrubbed launches in February and again in March because of separate technical issues, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said launching a rocket as important and as complex as SLS every three years is not a path to success. The SLS generated 8.8 million pounds of thrust at liftoff and, by every measure engineers care about, performed to plan. The powerful engine burn was described as flawless according to Dr. Lori Glaze, head of the Artemis program. However, the mission is not over with its upcoming re-entry into Earth's atmosphere scheduled for 11 April, which will ultimately define this mission's legacy. If successful, the future remains optimistic for landing humans back on the Moon once more.