Artemis 1 Launches Successfully

 

Image taken during the NASA livestream of the Artemis I launch.

NASA's "Artemis I" mission has succesfully launched from the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39B in Florida at 1:41 AM EST on Nov. 16 and succesfully deployed an unmanned "Orion" spacecraft. The event was livestreamed on YouTube.

The first of several missions in the Artemis program, Artemis I and the Orion spacecraft it carried will serve as a testbed for future manned missions to the moon and other planets including a possible lunar base and space station.

"This time we're going back... then we're going to Mars with humans," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said.

Artemis I also carries 10 cubesats onboard which will be deployed at multiple points referred to as "bus stops" along the journey.

Previously, Artemis I had been plagued by issues involving the SLS rocket's fuel system as well as weather problems, both of which caused numerous delays. Thankfully, the issues were resolved before launch.

Updates on Artemis I's progress and the Artemis mission are posted in the Artemis section of NASA's official blog.