Back to the moon: NASA’s Artemis 1 finally blasts off

NASA's Artemis 1, the most powerful space rocket in history, is headed towards the moon after launching on Wednesday from Florida.

Named after the twin sister of Apollo in Greek mythology, its objective is to launch an astronaut capsule in the direction of the Moon as part of a mission that will eventually put humanity back on the lunar surface by 2025.

The rocket was launched from Cape Canaveral using a powerful Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the ground-breaking Orion capsule. The 25-day, 1.3 million-mile trip to and from the Moon marks NASA's first crew-capable deep-space mission in 50 years. Two previous attempts in August and September to launch the capsule were aborted because of technical difficulties.

The Orion spacecraft will stay in that orbit for approximately six days to collect data and allow mission controllers to assess the performance of the spacecraft (Graphics by Nasa)

The Orion spacecraft is expected to stay in orbit around the Moon for approximately six days to collect data and allow mission controllers to assess the performance of the vessel.

According to Kennedy Space Centre, the difficulties from the previous aborted launches were resolved, and at 6:47am, the Space Launch System was given the all-clear to launch.

NASA calls Orion, the actual spacecraft in this rocket, the “next generation spacecraft,” designed for human missions into deep space, even further than the Moon. NASA's final aim is to have a manned spacecraft reach Mars.

The subsequent Artemis 2 and 3 missions depend heavily on the performance of Artemis 1, which will conclude with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on 11 December. 

If the mission is successful, Artemis 1 will land in the Pacific Ocean on December 11 (Photo: Nasa)

While Artemis 1 is not carrying astronauts, Artemis 2 and 3 will. Artemis 3 is intended to launch in 2025 but is likely to be delayed by a year. This will be the first crewed lunar landing since Apollo 17 in December 1972, which was the last time humanity landed on the Moon.

Artemis 1 is transporting three mannequins and a Snoopy plush instead of people. These have been planted in order to monitor radiation levels and test novel life-preservation innovations that will be applied in the upcoming long-duration human spaceflight.

There have been only 12 moonwalkers in history, all males, sent on Apollo missions between 1969 and 1972. However, Artemis 3 is planning to add a woman’s name to the history of moon landing together with the first person of colour.

Anyone can follow to see where Orion is in relation to the Earth and the Moon and follow Orion’s path during the mission here.