NASA Says SLS Megarocket Performed as Planned in First-Ever Launch Written 2 December 2022

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Artemis-1-Launch-16Nov22-NASA — Artemis I uncrewed Moon-orbiting mission launches Nov. 16 at 1:04 a.m. EST from NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39B. | Credit: NASA

SPACE reports that NASA officials said the agency’s “Space Launch System (SLS) megarocket hit all of its marks during its first-ever liftoff two weeks ago.” The Nov. 16 launch “kicked off NASA’s highly anticipated Artemis 1 mission, sending an uncrewed Orion capsule on a nearly 26-day trek to the moon and back. The SLS appeared to perform exactly as planned during the liftoff, and further analyses support those initial impressions, NASA officials announced on Wednesday.” Artemis mission manager Mike Sarafin said in a statement, “The first launch of the Space Launch System rocket was simply eye-watering. ... While our mission with Orion is still underway and we continue to learn over the course of our flight, the rocket’s systems performed as designed and as expected in every case.”
Full Story (SPACE)