The SLS rocket carrying the NASA Artemis 1 mission to the Moon successfully launched from the Kennedy Space Center
After many cancellations and postponements, the space agency NASA has finally launched the Space Launch System rocket as part of the Artemis I mission. Previous attempts were hampered by technical problems and weather conditions.
Preparations for the launch of the SLS rocket took more than ten years. This rocket launch marks NASA’s return to manned flights to the Moon. Although the first mission of Artemis I takes place without astronauts on board. Its main purpose is to test the space launch system of the rocket and spacecraft to ensure their safety for astronauts. After launch, the Orion capsule will spend more than a month in flight, circling the moon in a long orbit, before returning to Earth, landing in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California.
The launch of the Space Launch System was successful. Soon after launch, the accelerators and then the booster unit separated from the rocket. In the future, the spacecraft should deploy the solar panels and go on a flight to the Moon.
Interested users can watch the flight of the Orion spacecraft in real time using a special section of the NASA Artemis Real-time Orbit Website (AROW).
During the #Artemis I flight test, our @NASA_Orion spacecraft will travel to 40,000 miles beyond the Moon, farther than any crewed missions have flown: https://t.co/CL5LXUjDbZ
— NASA (@NASA) November 16, 2022
Artemis 1 is the first test flight of the Orion spacecraft (old mission name Orion EM-1) using the SLS rocket. This is a demonstration flight with an exit to a lunar orbit and a return to Earth to test the performance of the ship, which will pass without a crew. Orion is scheduled to spend three weeks in space, including three days in retrograde lunar orbit. The total duration of the mission is 42 days. It will end with the sinking of the ship off the coast of Florida. If everything goes according to plan, Orion will return to Earth on December 11.
Read more about the Artemis program and details of the first flight in our previous article.
