Nasa’s Orion crew capsule has been secured to the top of the Space Launch System rocket at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Final preparations are beginning for the first uncrewed launch in Nasa’s Artemis programme to return astronauts to the moon.
The fully stacked rocket stands at 322ft (98 metres), about 6ft taller than Big Ben in London. The European Space Agency has provided the critical service module that gives the Orion capsule electricity, air, water, communications and propulsion.
Nasa has said the launch date will be no earlier than 12 February 2022, but that depends on the rocket passing a number of critical tests in the coming months.
Artemis 1 will robotically orbit the moon before returning to Earth, where the Orion capsule will splash down in the ocean.
Artemis 2 will be a similar mission, except there will be four astronauts on board. After that, Nasa and its international partners expect to begin a series of missions that will establish a space station in lunar orbit, and land people on the surface of the moon. Under President Trump, boots on the ground was mandated for 2024. In reality, it will be several years later.
