The most powerful rocket ever built successfully launched on 16 November. It propelled the Artemis 1 mission on its journey towards the moon and began the multi-year Artemis programme.

Artemis was designed as a Nasa-led international programme of lunar exploration and eventual long-term inhabitation. This first mission is an uncrewed test of the Orion spacecraft, which will orbit the Moon before returning to Earth over the course of 25 days.

A Nasa spokesperson said, “After reaching its initial [Earth] orbit, Orion deployed its solar arrays and engineers began performing checkouts of the spacecraft’s systems. About 1.5 hours into flight, the rocket’s upper stage engine successfully fired for approximately 18 minutes to give Orion the big push needed to send it out of Earth orbit and toward the Moon. 

“Orion has separated from its upper stage and is on its outbound coast to the Moon powered by its service module, which is the propulsive powerhouse provided by the European Space Agency through an international collaboration.”

The Space Launch System rocket was manufactured by Boeing and stands 98m high and is capable of carrying payloads of 45 tonnes to lunar orbit, eventually including the first astronauts to travel to the Moon for 50 years. It can generate 4,000,000 kg of thrust, 15% more than the Saturn V rocket that powered the Apollo programme.

The crewed Artemis II mission is expected to launch in 2024, with the Artemis III mission which is due to land on the lunar surface launching in 2025. However, Nasa has pursued an ambitious schedule.