Artemis 1 Mission: NASA's Mightiest Rocket Sends Orion Spacecraft On Its Way To Lunar Orbit

NASA on Wednesday (16 November) successfully launched its mega moon rocket as part of the Artemis 1 lunar exploration programme from Launch Complex 39B of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Around eight minutes after lift off, the core stage engines of the world's most powerful rocket Space Launch System (SLS) cut off and the core stage separated from the rest of the rocket.

After this, the Orion spacecraft was propelled by the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS). NASA also deployed the Orion spacecraft’s four solar arrays.

This was the third attempt of the US space agency to launch the rocket. NASA's previous attempts were cancelled due to various issues.

The first launch attempt had to be scrubbed due to an engine bleed issue with one of the core stage’s RS-25 engines, while the second launch attempt had to be scrubbed because of a hydrogen leak.