“Today’s launch marks a defining moment for our nation and for all who believe in exploration.”
Four astronauts launched from Kennedy Space Center at 6:35 PM on the first crewed flight beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17. They will loop around the Moon without landing, setting a distance record of 252,000 miles. The SLS rocket fired on the first attempt. NASA got one right. The fact that it took 54 years to send humans back to the Moon says more about political will than engineering capability.