After Years of Delays and Billions Spent, SLS Rocket Embarks on Milestone Lunar Mission
Following years of development and significant setbacks, Nasa’s Artemis I mission has successfully launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, marking a historic step in lunar exploration. The Space Launch System (SLS), Nasa’s most powerful rocket since the Apollo-era Saturn V, lifted off at 1:47 a.m. EST on Wednesday.
By 3:42 a.m., the rocket’s upper stage completed an 18-minute trans-lunar injection burn, propelling the uncrewed Orion spacecraft toward the Moon at over 22,600 miles per hour. The successful launch represents a major achievement in Nasa’s Artemis program, aimed at establishing a sustainable human presence on the Moon.