Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Space
  3. News

Stunning NASA images show next-gen moon rocket on launchpad

Trevor Mogg
By

NASA has shared some stunning images of its next-generation Space Launch System (SLS) rocket on the launchpad.

1 of 3
NASA's mega moon rocket on the launchpad at the Kennedy Space Center.
NASA's next-generation "mega moon rocket" on the launchpad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA
NASA's mega moon rocket on the launchpad at the Kennedy Space Center.
NASA's next-generation "mega moon rocket" on the launchpad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA
NASA's mega moon rocket on the launchpad at the Kennedy Space Center.
NASA's next-generation "mega moon rocket" on the launchpad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA

The images, tweeted on Thursday, March 24, show the rocket — topped with the new Orion spacecraft — on Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with the sun rising in the background.

Related Videos

🌅 A sunrise view of the Artemis I @NASA_SLS rocket and @NASA_Orion spacecraft at Launch Pad 39B at @NASAKennedy in Florida on March 21, 2022. pic.twitter.com/nbBrwlFZIt

— NASA's Exploration Ground Systems (@NASAGroundSys) March 22, 2022

The new rocket is at the heart of NASA’s plans for a new era of human lunar exploration as part of the Artemis program. The SLS is set to take its maiden flight in the next few months. The Artemis I mission will involve SLS sending the Orion spacecraft on a fly-around of the moon in an uncrewed voyage designed to test the hardware of NASA’s new spaceflight system.

If all goes to plan, Artemis II, currently slated for no earlier than 2024, will send a crew on the same route, while Artemis III will use the SLS in a mission to put the first woman and first person of color on the lunar surface in what will also be the first crewed touchdown since the final Apollo mission in 1972. NASA is currently eyeing 2025 for the highly anticipated lunar visit, though that date could slip.

NASA rolled SLS to the launchpad for the first time last week. It is now undergoing final testing that will enable the space agency to confirm the Artemis I launch date.

NASA’s new launch vehicle, dubbed the “mega moon rocket,” stands at 322 feet (98.1 meters) and is capable of creating about 8.8 million pounds of thrust. That awesome capability makes it 13% more powerful than the space shuttle, which last launched in 2011, and 15% more powerful than the Saturn V rocket that sent Apollo astronauts on their missions to the moon five decades ago.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Enjoy these amazing space images by NASA’s oldest active astronaut
Don Pettit aboard the space station.

At 67, Don Pettit is NASA’s oldest active astronaut. During three trips to the International Space Station (ISS) -- in 2002, 2008, and 2011 -- Pettit earned a reputation as a highly skilled photographer who created extraordinary images of the ISS, Earth, and beyond.

Pettit, who describes himself as “an engineer by schooling, a scientist by profession, and an explorer by heart,” continues to share his amazing pictures on Twitter and Instagram, wowing his many followers on the social media platforms.

Read more
Enjoy NASA’s ‘best images’ of science on space station in 2022
NASA astronaut Kayla Barron checks plants growing inside the space station's Veggie facility.

It’s been a busy year for the International Space Station (ISS).

Orbiting about 250 miles above Earth, the ISS has welcomed new astronauts and bid farewell to others, conducted 12 spacewalks, hosted NASA’s first paying tourists, dodged hazardous debris, and experienced a serious leak from a docked spacecraft.

Read more
NASA shares Orion moon video on anniversary of iconic Earthrise image
As Earthrise as seen from the Orion spacecraft in 2022.

NASA has shared some incredible footage showing Earth rising behind the moon.

It was captured on November 28 as Orion orbited our nearest neighbor during the Artemis I test mission, which saw the first flight of NASA’s next-generation Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.

Read more