 rocket, Orion spacecraft, and the ground systems at the agency's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. The uncrewed mission around the moon will pave the way for a crewed, flight test and future human lunar exploration as part of Artemis. Mission managers met on Monday to discuss the flight readiness of the rocket and spacecraft after it was slightly damaged by Hurricane Nicole. The uncrewed mission will pave the way for a crewed, flight test and future human lunar exploration as part of Artemis ( NASA) They determined that there is a low likelihood that if additional material tears off it would pose a critical risk to the flight. They gave the launch "go" to proceed, and final checks are being carried out before the launch window on Wednesday. The project is years late and billions over budget, with a price tag for the test flight standing at more than $4billion (£3.37billion). The Artemis I mission will certify both Orion and the SLS Block 1 rocket for crewed spaceflight ( NASA) The 322ft (98m) tall SLS rocket, the world's most powerful rocket to date, is due to take the Orion capsule, powered by the Airbus-built European Service Module (ESM), into the moon's orbit. The flight, which will carry mannequins rather than astronauts, marks the next chapter in putting humans back on the moon. There will be people on board for subsequent missions, with the first crewed flight into space scheduled for 2024.You can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.){kind=link}
The Space Launch System rocket thundered skyward from the Kennedy Space Center following nearly three months of vexing fuel leaks and slight damage from Hurricane Nicole
NASA’s most powerful rocket ever blasted off in its Artemis moon mission today, after years of delays and billions in cost overruns.
The rocket will propel an empty crew capsule into a wide orbit around the moon, and then the capsule will return to Earth with a splashdown in the Pacific in December.
The Space Launch System rocket thundered skyward, rising from Kennedy Space Center on 8.8 million pounds (4 million kilograms) of thrust and hitting 100 mph (160 kph) within seconds.
The Orion capsule was perched on top, ready to bust out of Earth’s orbit toward the moon after nearly two hours into the flight.