Humans are flying to the moon for the first time in 53 years after NASA successfully launched four astronauts on its SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft on Wednesday.
As it left the launch pad, the rocket generated a whopping 8.8 million pounds of thrust and blasted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida to begin the 10-day Artemis II mission that will carry crew members Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen around the moon and back to Earth. Watch the video below to see the rocket fly away from Space Coast at 6:35 p.m. ET.
You can also watch as the SLS rocket’s two side boosters separate from the core stage a few minutes after launch, having helped propel the vehicle and crew into space.
To begin their epic journey, the astronauts will spend approximately 24 hours checking the spacecraft’s systems in high Earth orbit. If everything works as it should, the Orion will be put on a trajectory to the moon.
During the 10-day trip, astronauts will continue to evaluate the spacecraft’s systems while practicing emergency procedures such as testing the Radiation Protection Room, a temporary protective area within Orion that astronauts set up inside the capsule if radiation levels rise following a solar storm or a problem with the spacecraft.
The crew of Artemis II will fly approximately 4,600 miles beyond the moon, becoming the first humans to see the far side of the moon in more than 50 years.
A successful mission will pave the way for Artemis III, which will test Orion’s ability to rendezvous and dock with a commercial lunar lander in Earth orbit. Artemis IV will then carry out a manned lunar landing. NASA is currently planning for the highly anticipated endeavor in early 2028.
