NASA: Artemis rocket's 'eye-watering' power damaged launcher at KSC - Florida Today

The Space Launch System rocket, sporting four space shuttle-era main engines and two side-mounted solid rocket boosters, finally blasted off from Kennedy Space Center early Nov.

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Since this was SLS' first flight and the most powerful rocket NASA has ever launched, teams are still assessing impacts and how to repair them.

"We have exhaust that comes out of the solid boosters that is right at 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit," Mike Sarafin, NASA's Artemis mission manager, told reporters Monday.

SLS' launch, which took an uncrewed Orion capsule on a 26-day mission to the moon and back, also blew off elevator doors at the pad.

The rocket itself performed just as, if not better, than the platform that supported it.

"In terms of the post-launch performance summary that we had with the Space Launch System rocket, I will simple say that the results were eye-watering," Sarafin said.