In a dazzling display of light and sound, NASA launched the most powerful rocket ever made on a mission to the Moon on Wednesday. This launch marked the beginning of the space agency’s new flagship program, Artemis.
The Space Launch System (SLS), a 32-storey rocket, launched from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center with a record 8.8 million pounds (39 meganewtons) of thrust.
NASA said the spacecraft was on its way to the Moon about two hours after liftoff and later shared the first pictures of Earth fading behind the rocket.
Bill Nelson, the administrator of NASA, said at a news conference after the launch, “Now we are going back to the Moon, not simply for the sake of returning to the Moon, but to discover how to live on the Moon in order to prepare to send humans all the way to Mars.”
Nelson, who said he and several other astronauts witnessed the launch from the roof of the rocket assembly building. He also stated that,?”This is the next beginning, this is the Artemis generation.”
During the Apollo period, which ran from 1969 to 1972, America last sent astronauts to the Moon. This time, it plans to create a long-lasting presence, possibly even a lunar space station, in order to become ready for a journey to Mars in the 2030s.
After two prior launch attempts were scrubbed due to technical issues, it was NASA’s third attempt. Weather-related problems, like as Hurricane Ian, which pounded Florida in late September, also contributed to the launch’s delay.
Far side of the Moon
Two boosters, four strong engines, and the core stage’s quick detachment launched the Orion crew capsule into space.
Although it will take several days for the capsule to reach the Moon, an upper stage push sent it on its journey.
10 CubeSats will be released by the upper stage to conduct scientific research, including one that will deploy a solar-powered sail and do asteroid reconnaissance work.
Orion won’t touch down on the Moon; instead, it will take up an extended orbit 64,000 kilometers beyond the far side of the Moon, further than any other inhabited spacecraft to date.
The spacecraft will then start the return phase of its voyage. The heat shield of the capsule must be able to sustain a temperature half that of the Sun’s surface while traveling through the atmosphere.