NASA Launches Artemis 1 Moon Mission

On Wednesday, NASA launched its most powerful rocket ever as part of the Artemis mission to reach the moon.

The 32-story Space Launch System (SLS) rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral at 1:47 a.m. local time (0647 GMT/UTC).

NASA estimated that 15,000 spectators gathered at the launch site. The crowd erupted in cheers as the ground collapsed and the missile took off.

The attempted launch of the multi-billion dollar rocket came after 10 weeks of technical failures and frequent hurricanes that delayed the launch.

The Artemis mission marks the first time NASA has attempted to reach the moon since the final launch of the Apollo program 50 years ago.

“For the generation of Artemis, this is for you,” launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson said after lift off, referring to all those born after Apollo.

She said the inaugural Artemis launch was "the first step in getting our country back to the moon and onto Mars".

The Artemis mission will orbit the Moon before returning to Earth. The trip is expected to last 25 days.

The first flight will be a tough test for the Orion spacecraft with the mission monitoring the mannequins on board.

"There's a fair amount of risk with this particular initial flight test," mission manager Mike Sarafin said.

NASA hopes to eventually build a lunar base from which astronauts can be sent to Mars by the end of the next decade.