NASA’s successful Artemis 1 rocket launch brings humanity closer to a lunar landing

After several delays caused by engine problems, fuel leaks and Mother Nature, NASA had no choice but to shift the Artemis 1 mission to a later date. This is the first time that NASA's most powerful rocket and crew vehicle are flying together, and it also marks the beginning of the agency's Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the moon.

When NASA was unsure if the rocket would lift off, there was a tense moment. It took some time to tighten the bolts around the liquid hydrogen replenish valve after the launch team discovered it was leaking. The US Space Force had to repair the radar that was supposed to track the rocket's launch because it suddenly went offline. The hydrogen leak was fixed by the ground crew, but the radar issue was caused by a bad switch.

The last time the mission was delayed was when NASA pushed back the launch by an hour. SLS was leaving its launch pad by 1:45AM Eastern. The core stage's engines were powered down so the capsule could fall into the ocean after it deployed its solar array. The engine on the rocket's second stage will start to burn when it reaches the moon. The crew vehicle will leave for a four week journey around the Moon before returning to Earth. Along the way, the capsule will deploy 10 CubeSats that will be used to perform their own science investigations.

NASA needs the data from Artemis 1 to make sure that astronauts can fly to the moon safely. It will allow the agency to see if the vehicle's heat shield can protect the astronauts when it splashes down into the Pacific Ocean. NASA will be able to start planning for Artemis 2 if everything goes according to plan.