The US space agency NASA launched its lunar rocket on Wednesday. The unmanned Artemis I mission should ensure that astronauts can walk on the moon again in a few years.
The spacecraft is expected to fly to the moon in about a month. Then orbit it a few times before returning to Earth. With the help of parachutes, the flight must end in the Pacific Ocean. Hopefully, the craft will return to Earth around December 11.
It was the third launch attempt of the rocket. In August, the departure was canceled because one of the four rocket engines could not be brought to the right temperature. At the second attempt in September, a leak was discovered when the fuel tank was filled with liquid hydrogen.
It will be the first flight of the new US lunar program. The country wants to get people to the moon and back in a few years, for the first time since 1972. The most powerful rocket ever built for this purpose – the Space Launch System (SLS).
On top of that launcher is the new craft that has to go to the moon and back: the Orion. The astronauts will be seated in the front, American side. The rear, which provides power and propulsion, was developed by Europe. The solar panels that generate electricity come from Leiden.
