The rocket is crucial as the first crewed mission towards the moon in more than half a century. The Artemis II mission is the first time humans have travelled beyond low-Earth orbit since the Apollo 17 flight in 1972 and could see astronauts journey farther from Earth than ever before.
Four astronauts were sent on a 10-day journey that will take them around the moon and back to Earth after launching from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The mission is designed to test critical life-support and navigation systems aboard the Orion spacecraft, paving the way for future lunar landings later this decade.
For Australians, the launch captivates attention from scientists, space enthusiasts, education personnel and defence industry.
In addition, the Australian Space Agency outlined ambitions to support lunar missions and deepen partnerships with international programs like Artemis.
Earlier this year it was announced that Australia’s first lunar rover, Roo-ver, will be carried to the moon by the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Intuitive Machines will land Roo-ver on the moon’s south pole region in 2030 on the CT-4 mission, which is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative. Along with the Aussie-made rover, the CT-4 mission will carry a suite of other scientific instruments.
NASA has assigned Roo-ver with key research objectives, including collecting new data about the surface of the moon to support international space science and exploration goals.
“NASA continues to progress lunar science and exploration by enabling commercial lunar landings,” said Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration, science mission directorate, at NASA Headquarters in Washington, US.
“These science and technology investigations aim to support long-term sustainability and contribute to a deeper understanding of the lunar surface, test technologies and prepare for future human missions at the south pole.”
Want to see more stories from trusted news sources?Make Space Connect a preferred news source on Google.