After a series of technical delays, NASA finally launched the most powerful rocket in the world last night to take the Orion spacecraft on a journey past the Moon. The first mission in the Artemis program—which in 2025 (at the soonest) will return humans to the Moon for the first time since 1972—Orion will "travel approximately 40,000 miles beyond the Moon and return to Earth over the course of 25.5 days," NASA explains.
"Known as Artemis I, the mission is a critical part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, in which the agency explores for the benefit of humanity. It's an important test for the agency before flying astronauts on the Artemis II mission."
And worth noting, those astronauts will include the first woman and person-of-color to step foot on the Moon.
