The Space Launch System (SLS) super heavy-duty launch vehicle has lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida. As part of the Artemis 1 mission, the rocket launches the Orion spacecraft into an unmanned orbit around the Moon. The launch is broadcast on website NASA.
The SLS rocket was launched at 01:51 local time (9:51 Moscow time) from Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center. According to information from the NASA website, the test mission will last four to six weeks. During this time, the Orion spacecraft in unmanned mode should reach the Moon and stay in its orbit for several weeks. Subsequently, the ship will return to Earth and sink in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California on December 11. The total distance traveled by Orion will exceed 1.3 million miles.
Note that this is the first test flight in the absence of the crew. While in flight, the Space Orion will remain undocked to the space station longer than any previously launched vehicle.
The main goal of the Artemis program is the return of American astronauts to the lunar surface, the construction of a quasi-lunar station and the preparation of conditions for the possible colonization of the moon in the future. It was made public in 2020.
NASA attempted to launch Orion on August 29 and September 3, but the launches were delayed due to a hydrogen leak while refueling the rocket.
