Nasa launched the most powerful rocket ever built on a journey to the Moon on Wednesday, in a spectacular blaze of light and sound that marked the start of the space agency\u2019s new flagship programme, Artemis.
\nThe 32-storey tall Space Launch System (SLS) blasted off from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida at 01:47am (0647 GMT), producing a record 8.8 million pounds (39 meganewtons) of thrust.
\n\u201cWhat you have done today will inspire generations to come, thank you!\u201d Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, Nasa\u2019s first female launch director, told cheering teammates.
\nFixed to the rocket\u2019s top was the uncrewed Orion spaceship that will orbit Earth\u2019s nearest neighbour, in a test run for later flights that should see the first woman and first person of colour touch down on lunar soil by the mid-2020s.
\nAbout two hours after launch, Nasa said the spacecraft was on its trajectory to the Moon, and later released the first images taken of Earth receding behind the craft.
\n\u201cNow we are going back to the Moon, not just for the sake of going to the Moon, but to learn how to live on the Moon in order to prepare to send humans all the way to Mars,\u201d Nasa administrator Bill Nelson told a news conference after the launch.
\n\u201cThis is the next beginning, this is the Artemis generation,\u201d added Nelson, who said he watched the launch from the roof of the rocket assembly building along with a group of astronauts.
\nAmerica last sent astronauts to the Moon during the Apollo era, from 1969-1972. This time it hopes to build a sustained presence \u2014 including a lunar space station \u2014 to help prepare for an eventual mission to Mars in the 2030s.
\nThere were nervous moments as teams worked to overcome technical issues that ate into the two-hour launch window, which opened at 1:04am.
\nFirst, engineers were forced to pause the flow of liquid hydrogen into the core stage on Tuesday night because of a valve leak, but a team sent to the launch pad resolved the issue after about an hour, by tightening loose bolts.
\nLater, the space agency reported that a radar site monitoring the rocket\u2019s flight path was experiencing problems due to a faulty ethernet switch, which had to be replaced.
\nIt was third time lucky for Nasa after two previous launch attempts were cancelled for technical reasons. The launch was also delayed due to weather setbacks including Hurricane Ian, which battered Florida in late September.
\n\u2018Extremely excited\u2019
\nAbout 100,000 people were expected to have gathered along the coast to witness the historic event.
\nTodd Garland drove from Frankfurt, Kentucky to watch from Cocoa Beach.
\nWearing an Artemis T-shirt, the 55-year-old told AFP tearfully: \u201cThis has been an experience I\u2019ve looked forward to all my life.
\n\u201cMy first memory is my mother waking me up at two years old to watch the Moon landing and I\u2019ve always wanted to see a launch ever since, and now I have.\u201d
\nKerry Warner, 59, a grandmother and semi-retired educator who lives in Florida, added the launch was \u201cpart of America and what America is all about.\u201d
\nFar side of the Moon
\nThe Orion crew capsule was lifted by two boosters and four powerful engines under the core stage, which detached after just a few minutes.
\nA final push from the upper stage set the capsule on its way to the Moon, though it will take several days to reach its destination.
\nThe upper stage will meanwhile release 10 CubeSats to carry out science experiments, including one that will unfurl a sail powered by sunlight and perform asteroid reconnaissance work.
\nRather than landing on the Moon, Orion will assume a distant orbit, venturing 64,000 kilometres beyond the far side \u2014 further than any other habitable spacecraft so far.
\nFinally, the spaceship will embark on the return leg of its journey. When passing through the atmosphere, the capsule\u2019s heat shield will need to withstand a temperature half as hot as the Sun\u2019s surface.
\nThough Orion isn\u2019t carrying humans this time, it has three sensor-equipped dummies on board to help gather safety data for future crew members.
\nThe mission will last 25-and-a-half days, with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on December 11.
\nNasa is banking on a successful mission after developing the SLS rocket for more than a decade.
\nIt will have invested more than $90 billion in its new lunar programme by the end of 2025, according to a public audit.
\nArtemis 2 will involve a flyby of the Moon with astronauts in 2024, while Artemis 3 will see boots on lunar soil, no sooner than 2025.
\nNasa hopes to settle into a yearly launch schedule that will include international partners from Japan, Canada and Europe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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