Subscribe to CNN’s Wonder Theory Science Newsletter. Explore the universe with news about fascinating discoveries, scientific advances and more.
CNN –
The historic Artemis I mission took off early Wednesday morning after months of waiting. The landmark event kicked off a journey that will send an unmanned spacecraft around the Moon, paving the way for NASA to return astronauts to the lunar surface for the first time in half a century.
The sleek 322-foot-tall (98-meter-tall) Space Launch System, or SLS, fired its engines at 1:47 a.m. ET. It emitted up to 9 million pounds (4.1 million kilograms) of thrust to pull itself from the launch pad in Florida and into the air, streaking vibrantly across the night sky.
Atop the rocket was the Orion spacecraft, a rubber blob-shaped capsule that separated from the rocket after reaching space. Orion is designed to carry humans, but its passengers for this test mission are of the inanimate variety, including some mannequins that collect vital data to aid future live crews.
The SLS rocket consumed millions of pounds of fuel before parts of the rocket began to break up, and Orion was allowed to fly into orbit with only one large engine. This engine then fired two powerful burns to put the spacecraft on the correct trajectory toward the moon. Then, about two hours after liftoff, the rocket’s engine fell out as well, leaving Orion to fly freely for the rest of its journey.
According to NASA, Orion is expected to travel approximately 1.3 million miles (2 million kilometers), taking a path that will take it farther than any other spacecraft designed for human flight. After orbiting the Moon, Orion will make its return trip, completing its journey in about 25.5 days. The capsule is scheduled to break up in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego on December 11, when recovery teams will be waiting nearby to bring it to safety.
Throughout the mission, NASA engineers will closely monitor the spacecraft’s performance. The team will assess whether Orion is performing as intended and will be ready to support its first manned mission to lunar orbit, which is currently scheduled for 2024.
This mission also marks the debut flight of the SLS rocket as the most powerful ever to reach Earth orbit, with 15% more thrust than the Saturn V rocket that powered the 20th century moon landings from NASA.
And this mission is just the first in what is expected to be a long series of increasingly difficult Artemis missions as NASA works toward its goal of establishing a permanent outpost on the Moon. Artemis II will follow a similar path to Artemis I but will have astronauts on board. Artemis III, scheduled for later this decade, is expected to land a woman and a person of color on the lunar surface for the first time.
Read more: The big numbers that make the Artemis I mission a monumental feat
The mission team encountered a number of setbacks before Wednesday morning’s launch, including technical problems with the mega lunar rocket and two hurricanes that have passed through the launch site.
Fueling the SLS rocket with supercooled liquid hydrogen proved to be one of the main problems that forced NASA to call off previous liftoff attempts, but on Tuesday, the tanks were filled despite leaking problems that halted feeding for hours before launch.
To fix this problem, NASA deployed what it calls a “red crew,” a group of specially trained personnel to make repairs while the rocket is loaded with propellant. They tightened some nuts and bolts to stop the fuel leaks.
“The rocket, it’s alive, it’s crackling, it’s making ventilation noises, it’s pretty scary. So… my heart was pumping. My nerves were going, but, yeah, we showed up today. When we went up the stairs. We were ready to rock and roll,” Red crew member Trent Annis said in an interview with NASA TV after the launch.
Other NASA personnel in the firing room at the launch site, where agency officials make crucial decisions in the hours and moments before liftoff, celebrated a victory.
“For once I might be speechless,” said Artemis I launch manager Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, the first woman to hold the role.
“I’ve talked a lot about appreciating the moment you’re in,” Blackwell-Thompson told the engineers in the shooting room. “And we worked hard as a team. You have worked hard as a team up to this point. This is your time”.
Blackwell-Thompson then declared it time to cut the ties, a NASA tradition in which launch operators cut the ends of their commercial ties. Pitching manager Mike Leinbach cut Blackwell-Thompson’s, promising others in the room, “I’ll stay all night if I have to. It’ll be a pleasure to cut ties.”