Liftoff: NASA successfully launches Artemis I test flight mission after two failed attempts

NASA has successfully launched its latest Space Launch System (SLS) rocket into space as part of the Artemis 1 Moon mission. This is the first integrated flight test of the rocket developed by the US space agency. The rocket that took off from Cape Canaveral in Florida also has an Orion spacecraft onboard which isn’t accommodating an actual crew on this test flight. The Orion spacecraft is expected to reach the lunar orbit and stay there for several days before returning to the Earth on December 11.

NASA Artemis 1 Moon mission: Key details
After years of delay and billions of dollars spent, NASA’s first two attempts to launch the SLS rocket failed due to technical glitches and hurricanes, respectively. The rocket was initially expected to debut in 2017. NASA’s latest space program is named after the sister of Apollo in Greek mythology which comes 50 years after humans last set foot on the Moon.

The rocket is carrying an uncrewed Orion spacecraft on its first test flight and one of the primary goals of this mission is to test Orion’s heat shield as it enters Earth’s atmosphere. If everything goes as planned, the next flight of the Artemis programme (which is set for 2024) will carry astronauts around the Moon and back without landing.
In 2025, NASA plans to launch the Artemis 3 mission which will involve the first crewed Moon landing, since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. The upcoming mission might also include the first woman and the first person of colour to walk on the Moon.