NASA's Artemis 1 Orion spacecraft leaves moon's orbit to head home - Space.com

Related: Artemis 1 moon rocket, NASA's most powerful ever, aced its debut launch, agency says.

Live updates: NASA's Artemis 1 moon mission.

You can launch a Space Launch System of your own with this Estes NASA SLS model rocket (opens in new tab)for a 1:200 scale version of NASA's moon megarocket.

Orion launched atop NASA's massive Space Launch System (SLS) rocket in a fiery display on Nov.

16, kicking off the space agency's highly-anticipated Artemis 1 moon mission.

The mission is the first in the agency's Artemis program, which is aimed at establishing a sustainable crewed lunar outpost near the moon's south pole by the end of the decade.

The first Artemis mission was intended as a test for both the SLS vehicle and Orion spacecraft to ensure that both are flightworthy and safe to carry human crews into deep space.

If Artemis 1 goes as planned, the next mission, Artemis 2, will launch astronauts into orbit around the moon in 2024.

 —  NASA's daring Artemis 1 'Red Crew' saved the day for the launch to the moon.

 —  Artemis 1 launch success makes NASA's SLS the most powerful rocket ever to fly.

"The first launch of the Space Launch System rocket was simply eye-watering," Artemis mission manager Mike Sarafin said.