Artemis 1: The first mission to the Moon was launched (PICTURES+VIDEO)  

After two failed attempts

NASA’s first mission to return humans to the Moon, Artemis 1, has just successfully launched. The massive Space Launch System (SLS) rocket will travel to the far side of the moon and return, heralding the next manned mission.

The launch was uneventful and nine minutes later, the RS-25 engines shut down and the main section detached. Within the next few hours the solar panels will be deployed to continue its journey. The flight is unmanned and will travel 64,000 kilometers to the far side of the Moon. The mission will last 25 days, 11 hours and 36 minutes. SLS will return to Earth on December 11, 2022, having traveled a total distance of 2.09 million kilometers.

In the Orion Crew capsule are test dummies, souvenirs and several measuring instruments. The purpose of the mission is to test the craft’s handling and capsule conditions to ensure that the next mission will be safe for the crew.

In 2024, NASA will send the manned Artemis 2 mission into orbit around the Moon with an even more powerful version of SLS. In 2025, Artemis 3 will bring the first astronauts to the surface of the Moon for the first time since 1972. In 2027, the Artemis 4 mission will bring astronauts to the Gateway lunar station.