After several scrubbed and delayed attempts, NASA launched Artemis I, bringing the US closer to a moon landing for the first time in 50 years.
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NASA launched its massive Artemis I moon rocket early Wednesday, bringing the United States a step closer to landing on the lunar surface for the first time in 50 years since the end of the Apollo program.
NASA teams proceeded to fuel the 322-foot Space Launch System rocket with liquid hydrogen and oxygen at 3:50 p.m. ET — just over nine hours ahead of liftoff. The Artemis I launch was scheduled to start at 1:04 a.m. ET Wednesday, giving NASA a two-hour window to send the rocket into orbit, but technical issues delayed the launch time.
After no constraints were reported and all elements were polled a “go,” the new moon rocket launched at 1:47 a.m. ET. “For the Artemis generation, this is for you,” said launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson shortly before liftoff, referring to young people who were not alive for Apollo.
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